


Legends Never Die

by dieFabuliererin



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) - All Media Types
Genre: BAMF Ahsoka Tano, Clones, Jedi Ahsoka Tano, Protective Anakin Skywalker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2021-02-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 21:56:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27623044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dieFabuliererin/pseuds/dieFabuliererin
Summary: Ahsoka's sent on her first mission leading the 501st without Anakin. Everything goes well until a revengeful psychopath and radical anti-war terrorists decide to take the boys-in-blue and their beloved Commander hostage. Ahsoka will stop at nothing to get her men home, and Anakin teams up with many unlikely allies to find his Padawan, but things aren't as they seem.Some legends never die.
Relationships: Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 50
Kudos: 167





	1. Chapter 1

"Padmé, are you out here?"

The brown-haired girl peeps her head around the tree trunk. Her nana's stood on the porch, shielding her eyes from the Nabooian sun as she looks out over the lake.

Padmé giggles, clamping a hand over her mouth to muffle the sound. It's late in the afternoon, and she's been studying all morning. Nana has been relentless in preparing her for boarding school which she'll attend in a few months.

Her parents think she'll be a good politician someday.

"Padmé, dearest!" Her nana calls again, stepping onto the freshly cut grass. "Where are you?"

She takes a small step backwards and scans the tree towering above her. If she can sit at the top, she'll be able to see the waterfalls.

"Ah, there you are!" Nana calls, "Come down from there, sweetheart!"

"No, nana!" Padmé calls back, panting slightly as she lifts herself onto a branch, dirt already staining her white tights.

She huffs, pushing her hair back again. Nana likes to braid it, but Padmé doesn't like that. It hurts and makes her head look disproportionately large.

"I won't ask again, Madam." Nana's beneath her now, arms crossed sternly. "We have a lesson to be getting on with."

"I'm tired of learning, nana!" She whines.

" _Tired_?" Nana repeats, shocked, "My dear Padmé, you should never grow tired of learning."

"Well, I _am_." Padmé pouts, straddling a branch.

Nana sighs, "How about a story, sweetheart?"

Padmé rolls her eyes. Most of nana's stories are dull or have predictable endings, but it's better than reading romantic poetry, so she gets ready to climb down.

"Padmé!" Nana shouts when her foot slips off a branch.

She's falling for a moment, and then she feels her nana's arms swooping around her. Padmé takes a shuddery breath as she's lowered to the floor, "Sorry, nana."

"You _must_ be more careful." Nana scolds, kneeling to look the girl over, "Beautiful girls like you cannot have bumps and bruises. What would your parents say if I brought you back into the house with a broken leg?"

Padmé says nothing, taking her nana's hand and following her indoors. Her thumb finds its way to her mouth again, and she can smell the tree bark on her skin.

"You'll make your teeth go wonky." Nana says as she holds the porch door open, swatting at Padmé's hand. "Toddlers suck their thumbs, not young ladies."

"Nana," she whines, wiping her wet thumb across her skirt, "I don't want to be a young lady anymore."

Her nana looks down at her, amused, "Why, Padmé, being a young lady is a wonderful thing for a girl like you to strive for. You won’t find a better purpose in life than being a gracious host and a pretty face."

"What if I want to be _more_ than that?"

Nana laughs, petting her head, "Don't be silly, dearest. Now, sit down whilst I tell you a story."

"Okay," she mumbles, plonking down onto the rug and masterfully avoiding the _that's-not-ladylike_ look that nana gives her.

"I want to tell you a story about the Mandalorians." Nana says, sitting gracefully in a wicker chair.

Padmé frowns, "I thought papa said no more stories about Mandalorians?"

"Well, papa is away on business, isn't he?" Nana bends down to cup her cheek, smiling, "It's important to know about other culture's histories, Padmé, don't you agree?"

She nods slowly, "What's the story about, nana?"

Nana sits upright again and folds her hands in her lap, "The story is about Clan Kehl."

The middle-aged woman spent a great deal of time living on Mandalore as a nana for the children of a General, and the citizens have always held a special place in her heart, despite their obsession with violence.

Padmé despises violence. It's senseless.

"They were peaceful people," nana continues, "always keeping to themselves. Most were farmers, and an odd few were great engineers. Their planet was tranquil, almost like Naboo, except the people were humbler."

Padmé nods, knowing her papa is a prideful Nabooian. He whistles the planet's anthem wherever he goes and has framed paintings of Nabooian monarchs adorning the walls of their home.

"On Mandalore, the army was preparing for _another_ war. They asked Clan Kehl to make them weapons, but the Clan refused." Nana sighs, "The government sent out a notice which stated that compliance was indisputable-"

"Why did the Clan refuse?" Padmé asks, interrupting. "Mandalorians love war."

"Weren't you listening to me, young one? Clan Kehl were peaceful people, not warriors like other Mandalorians."

Padmé frowns. If a government asks for their people’s help, then the people ought to provide.

"I just can't understand why they would _refuse_ to do something their government asked them to do." The girl mutters.

"A government can only guide its people, not control them." Nana says, "You must remember that, dear. At the time, the Mandalorians in charge didn't care for the freedoms of their people. All they cared about was being the best warriors in the galaxy, no matter the cost."

"That sounds problematic."

Nana laughs, "Indeed, but let's not get distracted by Mandalorian politics."

"Okay. "Padmé shifts her position, "So, they refused to make weapons for the army, and the government gave them one last chance to change their minds. What happened next?"

"Clan Kehl stood their ground, so the government, with the permission of the Jedi Council, went to their village to punish the clan for cowardice."

"Punish them?" Padmé frowns deeply, "How?"

Nana's face grows sad, "They punished the clan by erasing their name from Mandalorian history- _permanently_."

Her papa has a saying: _the only way to permanently resolve a political issue is to kill everyone involved._

Padmé's eyes widen, "They killed all of the clan members?"

"Eventually, yes." Nana shakes her head, "They made sure the clan knew they were wrong to refuse the order to create weapons for the army. They started with the men, then the woman, and finally, the children.”

Padmé recoils slightly, shocked but not repulsed like any other child would be.

"After every clan member was killed, the village was set alight." Nana continues, her eyes glazed over, "It was a demonstration to the other clans of Mandalore, warning them what would happen if they disobeyed the government."

"Why would the Jedi Council permit such an attack?" Padmé asks, curious, "I thought they were peacekeepers."

"For the most part, they are." Padmé frowns; _an organisation of peacekeepers can't pick and choose when they decide to keep the peace_. "The Jedi who permitted the attack fell from the Light Side and left the Order a few months after the attack on Clan Kehl. Their reasoning for permitting the attack on Clan Kehl was that they had a treaty with the Mandalorians, and they didn’t want to ruin the peace.”

So, they didn’t want to ruin the peace with the Mandalorians, so they allowed an entire village to be slaughtered?

"What does it mean to fall from the Light Side?"

Nana laughs at her, "Silly, Padmé, those are just Jedi terms. They'll never mean anything to you or me."

Padmé huffs, climbing to her feet. "Is that the end of the story, nana?"

"The end? Why, of course not." Nana snatches Padmé by the waist and puts her on her lap, "The Mandalorian government wiped Clan Kehl from their history books, but how do you think someone like me could've found out this story?"

Padmé bites back the obvious: _because it's fictional!_ All of nana’s stories are just folklore- none of it is true.

Nana will get upset if Padmé says that out loud.

Instead, she says, "There could've been someone who escaped."

"You're right, my clever girl!" Nana praises, squeezing her until her ribs hurt. "A young girl escaped the village and managed to leave the Mandalore System. Then, she found me and-"

"Padmé!" Her mother calls from the kitchen, cutting nana off.

"Oh dear, mama sounds angry." Padmé slides off nana's lap, almost glad she has an excuse to leave this boring story time, "Another time, I guess, nana."

* * *

Ahsoka turns off her alarm after the first beep, nervousness and excitement already giving her an adrenaline rush before she's even sat up.

_This is it._

After over a year of begging, Anakin's _finally_ letting Ahsoka take the 501st on a mission without him.

Well, so maybe he isn't letting her go _willingly_...

The Council wanted Anakin to take on some diplomatic duties to work on his _interpersonal issues_ , which took him off the rooster for missions. An opportunity opened for the 501st to take on a mission in the Outer Rim, and with Anakin grounded to Coruscant, the Council decided Ahsoka could take the boys-in-blue herself.

At first, Anakin threw a tantrum, but then Obi-Wan had a 'chat' with him. He's still not happy with giving Ahsoka control over his Legion, but at least he isn't putting his foot down and downright refusing to sign over the reins.

She's excited to finally put her training to the test. It'll be good preparation for when she's Knighted and has to make decisions on her own. Even though she feels prepared for the added responsibility, Ahsoka would be lying if she said she wasn't nervous.

It's scary to have so many lives will be in her hands.

It reminds her of Ryloth.

Ahsoka shudders, pushing the haunting memories away. This mission won't be a repeat of that disaster. She was young then- _young, immature, and inexperienced_. Now, she knows what it means to be a good leader and achieve success without needlessly risking the lives of her men.

Slinging her satchel over one shoulder, Ahsoka silently closes the door to her bedroom. She prays Anakin is sleeping in today, so he won't be a complete parent. They said their formal goodbyes last night, and he knows how much she hates it when he fusses over her.

And yet, she knows from the smell of jerba cheese and Klatooine paddy frog sausage, that Anakin is indeed awake.

"Morning, Snips!" He's stood in the front of the stove, tending to a sizzling frying pan with a large spatula when she enters the kitchen. "I hope you're hungry; I made your favourite!"

She forces her lips into a smile, _he’s far too energetic for 0700_ , "Thanks, Master."

"What's wrong?" He asks, concern shining through his Force-signature. His amplified feelings across their bond was one of the reasons Ahsoka brought her worries about her Master to Obi-Wan. "Are you nervous? You know, the Council can send another Knight to go with you if you're worried."

"It's not that." She inwardly rolls her eyes at his attempt to stop her soloing this mission. "I thought you were going to sleep in today."

He shrugs, "I have things to do too, Snips"

She raises an eye marking, "You have a meeting with the Chancellor at midday that you would've woken up for fifteen minutes beforehand, had I not been leaving today. You aren't fooling anyone, Master."

"Am I not allowed to cook breakfast for my Padawan who's going on her first solo mission with my Legion today?" He accuses, levitating two plates with one hand and serving up their food.

"Um," Ahsoka isn't sure how to put this, "Rex and I kind of agreed to get breakfast on the go."

Anakin pauses, "Oh." He lowers the plates to the counter, "Sorry, I should've known-"

"No, no," Ahsoka starts, already sensing that she's hurt his feelings, "It's fine, honestly. I prefer your cooking over the mess' food any day."

"Liar." Anakin laughs once before glancing at her, "You can get going if you want to."

Kriff, he's making her feel so bad. Why did she even open her mouth in the first place? She should've just been grateful he cooked for her.

She checks her wrist chrono, "I'm still pretty early; I can stay for another ten minutes or so."

The smile on Anakin's face is too genuine and pure, Ahsoka automatically smiles back.

She throws her satchel beside the door and walks to the kitchen table. It's littered in datapads, spare bolts and pod-racing magazines. She moves the clutter to one side, making space for herself and Anakin to eat.

 _Routine is necessary and that includes having time and space to eat_ , Master Che drilled into their heads.

"One Hungry Hutt sandwich for the Commander." Anakin announces, putting her plate in front of her. Poached gorg egg, Klatooine paddy frog sausage and a slice of jerba cheese, all served on a pedunkee mufkin; Ahsoka inhales the delicious aroma whilst Anakin sits down with his own portion.

"This looks amazing," she says, collecting the sandwich in her hands and taking a large bite. She hums in contentment as the different flavours hit her tongue. He may not be great at boiling rations, but Anakin’s a mean cook when it comes to real food.

"Obi-Wan made this for me the morning of my first mission without him," Anakin says, taking a bite of his own.

Ahsoka chews, realising now why seeing her off is so important to Anakin. If she ever has her own Padawan, she wants to cook them a nice breakfast- maybe even a Hungry Hutt sandwich- when they go solo for the first time.

The two Jedi eat in silence. Usually, they discuss battle plans over meals, or sometimes just gossip, but they're content to enjoy the food without conversation. In her mind, Ahsoka’s running over the final details of her upcoming mission, making sure she's prepared for anything that doesn't go according to plan.

"You know, I may be grounded to the Temple," Anakin starts, holding a hand over his mouth as he chews. Obi-Wan hates it when he talks with his mouth full, "but, if anything happens, call me and I'll be there."

Ahsoka smiles, knowing she has no hope of arguing with him, "Okay, I will."

"You have Rex to support you." Anakin continues, "He'll help out."

Her smile fades, "I'm supposed to be the one in charge, Master, not Rex."

"I know," Anakin leans back in his chair, watching her, "I outrank Rex too, but I rely on him in every campaign. His experience is handy, and he knows the men better than we do."

Ahsoka doubts that. Anakin will learn the clones' names and skills, but he doesn't spend half as much time with them compared to Ahsoka. The men aren't just her soldiers, they're her friends, and she likes to think she knows them well.

Although, she understands what Anakin is saying. There are two shinies coming on this mission; and they're fresh off Kamino, so they have probably never spoken to a female superior. It's always a little awkward with the new men, but Rex makes sure he introduces every new soldier to Ahsoka, so they become familiar with her.

She rests her cheek in her hand, "Are you going to worry the entire time I'm away, Master?"

He laughs, "My _job_ is to worry."

She rolls her eyes, "Your _job_ is to train me well enough that you don't worry when I go off on my own."

"Well, then we have some more training to do," he teases, stacking their empty plates, "Do you feel worried about going off on your own?"

Ahsoka looks down at her knees, wonders if they're shaking from nervousness or excitement. It's scary- she'll admit- having the full responsibility of her men's lives. This isn't the hardest mission she's ever been on, and a fair number of veterans are going with her, including two ARCs, so there's no reason for her to be anxious.

"Take care of the men, and they'll take care of you." Anakin says, reading her thoughts. "I believe in you, Snips. If I really didn't think you could handle this, then we would both still be in bed and going to visit the Chancellor in a few hours."

She laughs, standing up, "Think I'll take the Separatist outpost on Xorrn, thanks."

"If I had the choice, I'd pick the same." Anakin sighs, sending their plates to the kitchen with a wave of his hand.

“You’ll be back on the field before you know it, Master.” Ahsoka walks over to the door to pick up her satchel, suddenly overwhelmed with guilt because she gets to go off-planet and Anakin will be left here, "You won't get too lonely, will you?"

He laughs behind her, "I have friends other than _you_ , Snips."

By 'friends', he means Obi-Wan, Padmé and Palpatine. Ahsoka can't think of anyone else on Coruscant who Anakin spends time with.

"I like the new uniform." She hears him say behind her, "Makes you look more mature."

The chevrons on her lekku darken in a blush as she smooths out her new skirt, "It was time for a change."

The bandeau top was wearing a little tight for her comfort in the past few weeks, and the medics lectured her enough about its lack of protection, so Ahsoka enlisted Senator Amidala's help in finding more _battlefield appropriate_ attire.

Now, she wears a maroon backless dress with fire-retardant and tear-resistant material, courtesy of Padmé's funds. The Senator said it suits her growing figure well, which made Ahsoka hesitant to wear it in front of her Legion of testosterone-fuelled soldiers, but she eventually submitted.

Her favourite addition to her new look is the extension on her Padawan braid, gifted to her by Master Yoda himself.

Anakin projects pride across their Force bond, probably listening in to her memories. Ahsoka sends him a wave of gratitude, though she'll never be able to thank him enough for teaching her so well.

"Hey," she glances over her shoulder at him. Anakin throws her a two-fingered salute, "See you on the flip side, Commander Tano."

She returns the gesture, preferring it over a formal Jedi bow, "Stay out of trouble, Skyguy. Don't forget your meds."

The last thing she sees before the door closes is Anakin smiling cockily, holding up a small orange bottle. Ahsoka sighs, hitching her satchel up as it starts to slip.

She hopes Anakin will survive her absence.


	2. Chapter 2

As agreed, Rex meets her outside the Temple. Her Captain's casually leaning against the bannister at the top of the steps, the rising sun behind him making his silhouette seem mysterious.

She smiles widely, a hand over her eyes to shield them from the sun, "Morning, Rexster."

"Ahsoka." He replies. It's taken _months_ to get him to use her first name in private. She got sick of either being 'kid' or 'Commander'- so she established a middle ground. Besides, he hates being called Captain when it's not official business.

His helmet visor tilts as he looks her up and down, "Is this your version of the Phase II armour?"

"Cheek!" She laughs, nudging him as they start to walk down the steps. She pulses security across her bond to Anakin, letting him know she’s with Rex and on her way. He responds with a wave of pride in farewell, making her smile.

"I think you're more streamline now," Rex carries on, and Ahsoka can imagine him smirking beneath his helmet as he teases her, "Got your lightsabers?"

She pats the weapons on her hip, "I'm not a youngling anymore, Rex."

The shoto's not exactly new, but it's taken her a while to get used to fighting with it. Anakin's says she's a promising duo-wielder, and he'll start inviting Obi-Wan to join in their sparring sessions once she's completely nailed her form.

"You don't say." He gestures with one hand to her new attire and then holds out a brown paper bag, "Your order, Commander."

"Thanks," she accepts the bag with a smile, not having the heart to tell him that Anakin cooked for her, "Are the guys ready?"

"Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed," Rex replies, glancing her way. She doesn't like the dark visor; she can never tell what he's thinking. Rex speaks through his eyes.

As they walk, Ahsoka runs through her team in her head. The GAR assigned the 501st to this mission, but really, only thirteen clones are attending because of this being a stealth mission of low importance. The other members of the Legion get some extended leave, assisting the Coruscant Guard with escorting Senators and politicians around.

Thirteen clones. Thirteen men. Thirteen lives in her hands. The number runs around Ahsoka's head: _thirteen, thirteen, thirteen..._

_Some say thirteen is an unlucky number._

"Ahsoka?"

She snaps her head around to Rex who is cocking his helmet to one side, "Were you listening?"

"Um..." Good cosmos, she's getting like Anakin, "Sorry, Rexster, you lost me there. What were you saying?"

He stares at her for a few moments longer before speaking, "I asked if we could run over battle strategies along the journey."

"Right." She lets out a long breath, scanning her memory, "Oh yeah, I remember you telling me about some new formations you were reading up about. Sure, I'll look over them with you."

She adds after a moment of thinking, "We may have to do that on the journey back; I want to make sure our shinies are completely comfortable before this mission."

Rex nods, "they're good kids, the two of them."

"Solo and Sixty-one, right?" Ahsoka asks, hoping she's remembered correctly.

"Sixteen." Rex corrects subtly, and Ahsoka's instantly annoyed that she got it wrong. "He wants to get a name by the end of this mission. I tried telling him that a few days isn't long enough to pick a name, but he was adamant."

"How long did it take you?" Ahsoka asks, curious. Generally, she doesn't ask clones where they got their names to not be seen as imposing, but Rex is her best friend, and she feels bad not knowing how he let go of CT-7567.

"They gave me my name just before I left Kamino." He states proudly, lifting a hand to point at the Jaig Eyes on the brow of his helmet, "When I got these."

So, it's alright for _Rex_ to get a name before he even left his birth planet, but Sixteen can't get one on his first mission? Ahsoka vows to help the shiny come up with a few ideas. Names are a sacred part of clone culture, so she tries to distance herself from naming shinies, but giving him a few suggestions can't hurt.

"How old were you when you got your name?"

She has to do a double take at Rex, and when his shoulders aren't moving with laughter, she realises he's serious.

"I've had my name since I was born, Rex." She says, amusement heavy in her tone, "Clones are the only species who don't get a name at birth."

Her helmet jerks as if she hit him, "So, you _didn't_ choose your name?"

This time, she can't help but laugh. "No, my parents did, or Master Plo; I'm not completely sure." She furrows her brow, trying to remember someone else calling her by her name, but all she can imagine is her Kel Dor friend.

"I don't think I would've liked to be given a name the day I came out of my vat," Rex says as they reach the bottom of the Temple steps. "My name has meaning; it's based on _who_ I am."

Ahsoka nods, her lips pressed together. She envies the clones for having the freedom to choose their names. Each man has a story behind their name, and all Ahsoka has is a few hazy memories of her life before the Order.

If she could choose a name for herself, what would she pick?

Anakin's nickname, _Snips_ , comes to mind, making her smile. _Padawan Snips, Commander Snips, General Snips_ \- now, _that_ has a ring to it.

It's a short speeder trip to the landing platform where they organised to meet the rest of the men before deployment. Ahsoka and Rex get a bit of a shock to see Cody stood amongst their men, with one of his own following him around like a lost Tusk cat.

"What's Cody doing here?" Rex asks, coming around to her side of the speeder.

"I have no idea." Ahsoka says, climbing out, "I hope Anakin didn't order him to come along because he doesn't trust me."

"The General has more faith in you than you give him credit for." Rex chuckles beside her, slipping off his helmet, "Maybe Cody's here to give us a nice send-off."

They head towards the others, keeping an extra couple of inches apart from each other as they approach the shuttle. Cody spots them and starts walking over, gesturing with one hand for the other 212th clone to follow.

"Commander Tano, Captain Rex," Cody greets them, nodding at each officer in turn. "Sorry to spring this on you so last minute, but I was wondering if you had room for a small one." He jerks a thumb over his shoulder at the clone behind him.

Rex and Ahsoka share a look, the clone asking, "Not to be rude, Commander, but why?"

"Blinder here could use a bit of a confidence boost." Cody lowers his tone as if the shiny won't be able to hear him from a few feet away. "I figured a mission in a small group could bring him out of his shell a bit."

Ahsoka smiles widely, thrilled with the idea. "I think that will be fine, don't you, Rex?"

"If you say so, sir," Rex says, and Ahsoka can hear how unenthusiastic he is. Rex and Cody are close, but no CO likes to take on _extra_ responsibilities at the last minute.

"He won't be any trouble," Cody says, passing Ahsoka a datapad.

She signs the handover document with a flourish, "All sorted. Welcome to the team, Blinder."

She looks at the shiny clone and nearly jumps backwards in shock.

He's new, judging by his pristine armour, but his face tells a different story.

She isn't sure how much _actual_ flesh is left on the young man's face. His skin looks as hard as leather, patched over his facial bones like a quilt. His lips are practically non-existent, and only one of his eyes seems to work. The other one looks like glass.

"Blinder was the victim of a terrorist acid attack here on Coruscant," Cody explains when Rex and Ahsoka are both too stunned to speak. "He's just been discharged from medical."

Good cosmos, the poor trooper.

When he realises they're staring, Blinder coils in on himself, half-hiding behind Cody.

Ahsoka shakes her head, hating the fact she just made him uncomfortable. She's seen troopers with scars before. "How many missions have you been on, Blinder?"

The kid's shoulders are rigid, "Three, Commander."

She nods, smiling gently, "Then you're more experienced than the two other shinies joining us."

Her words ease him a little, but he still looks terrified. Ahsoka notices he keeps running a hand over his head, which is free of hair. Who would throw acid on a shiny like him? He seems like a good kid.

"I'm Ahsoka Tano." She introduces herself, although knowing Cody, he probably already told Blinder this. "And this is Captain Rex. Any problems, questions, good jokes, come to us."

Rex and Cody chuckle at her banter, but Blinder just nods stiffly. She turns to Rex, "Shall we get going, Captain?"

"Of course, sir," Rex starts walking, "This way, kid."

Ahsoka and Cody hang back, the 212th Commander speaking first. "Poor sod was in the wrong place at the wrong time. The attacker saw his armour and the second he took his helmet off, threw the acid."

She grimaces inwardly, "Did you say it was a terrorist attack?"

Cody nods, watching Blinder walk up the shuttle's ramp. "That's what Fox concluded. Blinder doesn't like to talk about it."

She doesn't blame him.

Ahsoka sighs, "Don't worry; Rex and I will keep an eye on him."

"I appreciate it, Ahsoka," Cody sighs, putting his helmet on. "Good luck out there."

She smiles, "Master Kenobi says not to believe in luck."

"Good thing I'm not a Jedi then." With that, Cody smirks, tossing her a two-fingered salute as he walks back to his speeder.

She likes Cody; he's a good guy.

After he leaves, Ahsoka boards the shuttle and sees Blinder and Rex waiting for her. She gives the men a big smile, "Let's see what the boys are entertaining themselves with, shall we?"

She opens the door to the shuttle's communal area comprising a small kitchenette, and some worn out benches. Inside, the rest of her men are invested in a very heated game of Sabaac, and Ahsoka swiftly dodges the sharp cut of a card as it's thrown at her head.

"Commander on deck!" Coric shouts, noticing her first.

The younger troopers scramble to their feet, standing at perfect attention whilst the veterans take their time, pushing each other as they wait for their orders. Ahsoka smiles, it's nice to see her older men more relaxed.

"At ease, gentlemen," she says, nodding at them all.

"Are those _my_ cards?" Rex demands, fiddling with the one which nearly took off Ahsoka's lekku. He scowls, "I want _every_ single one picked up."

Sixteen and Solo- the youngest troopers in the batch- get moving first, immediately gathering the cards off the floor. The other newish clones follow suit, leaving the vets to lounge about.

The older and more experienced they get, the less the men have enthusiasm for unnecessary and mundane tasks.

"Everyone, this is Blinder." Ahsoka gestures to the young trooper nervously shifting beside her, "He's from the 212th Battalion, and he'll be joining us for our mission."

Blinder's panic at having everyone stare at him hits Ahsoka through the Force like a brick. Maybe she should've introduced him to the guys one-by-one.

"What happened to you?" Fives asks, his eyes caught on Blinder's deformed face.

"Fives." Rex scolds.

"Ignore him, Blinder," Echo speaks up, nudging his ARC-vod. "Fives has no filter. Welcome to the team."

Blinder nods but says nothing.

"Echo and Fives are the Legion's token ARC troopers," Rex explains, pointing at each soldier. "I promoted them after the Battle of Kamino."

"If you need to go over the mission briefing, I'll run through it with you." Echo offers; already helping the newbie settle in despite his own shyness. "If that's alright with the Commander?"

"Certainly," she beams, looking at the clone beside her, "Blinder?"

"Yes, ma'am." He says immediately. Ahsoka smiles, amused at how nervous he is, particularly around her. It's obvious the 212th doesn't have any female COs.

"Follow me," Echo says, standing from the sofa and heading out to the quiet cockpit area. Blinder follows, nearly tripping over himself as he hurries after the ARC. Ahsoka remembers chasing Anakin around like that when she first started.

Fives goes too, of course, but not without glancing at Ahsoka as he passes, "Nice uniform, Commander."

She keeps her face stern, no longer the young Padawan who nervously laughed at these types of comments the clones made to her. "Could say the same about you, Fives. ARC training seems to have grown your ego."

She hasn't seen Echo and Fives since they went off for ARC training, and if she's honest, she's slightly jealous of how advanced their armour is. She's noticed each brother has their own customised array of weapons, and their helmets seem to have the newest technology.

That doesn't mean Echo and Fives are any higher skilled than their brothers. After all, a good lightsaber is nothing without a good Jedi to wield it. Still, she hopes their extra training will come in useful should anything go wrong on this mission.

"It'll do that." Rex says besides her, "Jog on, Fives."

The ARC chuckles, "Yes, Captain." Then, he literally jogs after Echo and Blinder- a joker through and through.

"Commander," Ahsoka turns to Coric, who comes to stand in front of them. "With all due respect, having an extra trooper on the team makes our medic-to-soldier ratios wrong."

She cracks a smile at his seriousness, "Sergeant, with all due respect, I'm hoping we don't need _any_ medics during this trip. Besides, three medics will be plenty for fifteen people."

Coric's jaw clenches, "There are only two medics, sir."

Rex takes a step forward, "What about Tread?"

"He doesn't count."

"Doesn't _count_?" Ahsoka repeats, her eye-markings lifting. She spies the junior medic with Kix on the other side of the room, running through their final medkit checks together. "Why not?"

"He's new," Coric argues.

"Coric," she has to laugh, looking back at the Sergeant. "Tread patched up my blaster wound from the last campaign and you said he did a fine job."

Tread has been in the Legion for about a month, and although he passed all his medical training on Kamino with flying colours, Coric is still hesitant to let him get his independence. He took Tread under his wing, and now he's struggling to let go.

Ahsoka looks back at the Sergeant, "Do you trust me to keep you all safe, Coric?"

He straightens, "Of course, Commander."

"Then trust Tread to keep us safe too."

The senior medic sighs heavily, "Yes, sir."

Ahsoka nods, turning to scan the other occupants of the communal area. "We're missing one. Where's Chopper?"

"Back cabin, sir," Jesse says, overhearing her question from where he's flipping through a holo-magazine with Hardcase.

Typical Chopper.

Ahsoka meets Rex's eyes, a lot easier to do now his helmet is off, "I'll speak to him."

The Captain nods, "I'll get Sixteen and Solo ready for their courtesy call."

"Score," Ahsoka says, using a piece of clone slang that the guys taught her.

She finds Chopper in the bunk room, hidden away in the back corner. He's new to the 501st, but he's not a shiny. Rex says Chopper's one of the finest troopers he's ever met, but he had a rough start when he was under Sergeant Slick's command. Ahsoka doesn't know the details of how the traitor hurt his squad, but just by knowing Chopper, she can see how badly Slick abused his men.

"Knock, knock," she says, rapping her knuckles on the metal frame of a bunk.

Chopper glances up from cleaning his blaster, the light scars on his face shimmering in the low light. "Commander Tano."

Even though she's keeping her distance, she can see how rigid he is. Chopper doesn't do well with figures of command anymore, and Ahsoka doesn't blame him. Chopper hardly looks Rex in the eyes, let alone his Jedi officers.

"Newbie from the 212th is joining us." She tells him, stopping a few metres away from where he's sat. "The name's Blinder."

Chopper stares at her for a few moments before asking, "A shiny, ma'am?"

"Technically, yes, but he's got some experience under his belt," she replies, remembering Blinder's battle-worn face. "I think you'll like him."

Chopper chews his lip, a nervous habit. "Because he's from the 212th?"

"Oh, no!" Ahsoka backtracks, realising her mistake. Chopper transferred from Cody's Battalion. "I just thought, he's a bit introverted and well, I think you'll know what I mean when you meet him."

"I see." Chopper says evenly, "Is that all, sir?"

"Yes," she nods, still uncomfortable with how blunt Chopper can be. "We'll be leaving Coruscant shortly."

Sixteen and Solo are promising soldiers, just like the other shinies Ahsoka has worked with. Defiantly loyal, eager to get stuck in and knowing their stuff like the back of their hands, Ahsoka knows these men will impress her. Rex seems confident in them too.

"This mission should be simple." She tells them after the courtesy call. "It's a singular outpost, and the scouts said it's just brimming with B1s- nothing worse. We should be on our way back in a few days."

She glances at Rex, "Right, Captain?"

He nods back, smirking confidently, "Four days tops, Commander."

Sixteen- the louder of the two batch mates- snaps a sharp salute, "We're ready to serve, sirs."

"Excellent." Ahsoka grins, "Feel free to psyche yourselves up for the rest of the journey. Chill out, chat to the men, get some shut-eye if you want. Force knows, it's still early."

The two shinies salute and dismiss themselves, leaving Rex and Ahsoka in the hull.

"0730 is _not_ early, Commander," Rex says, smirking as they head towards the cockpit.

"It is for me." She grins back.

0500 is the standard time to rise and shine on the _Resolute_ , but when she's in the Temple, Ahsoka can sleep in until noon. She's glad Anakin's her Master because he never scolds her for sleeping in over leave, and usually, he stays in bed longer than her- when he actually _submits_ to sleep once in a blue moon.

She's about to touch the control panel to open the cockpit door when Rex coughs, "I, uh, have something for you... sir."

"A gift?" She asks when he pulls a small black box out of a pouch on his belt, "Rex, I think it's a bit early to pop the question."

"What?" He asks, a frown masked on his face.

Ahsoka's teasing smile falls off her face, "It was a joke."

"Oh," he glances down at the box as if he forgot he was holding it, "Here."

"What is it?" She asks, serious this time as she takes the box from him. It's no bigger than her palm, and fairly flat.

"Open it." He encourages, crossing his arms over his chest. Out of the corner of her eye, she notices him glancing around for any lingering shinies. Knowing Fives, he would get terribly upset if he saw them doing a gift exchange without him.

She pops the box open, "Oh, Rex..."

She's almost lost for words. Sitting inside the box is a small gold band with a diamond-shaped pendant in the middle. It looks like a choker.

"You'll have to see if it goes with the new outfit," Rex says after a few moments of Ahsoka's awe-struck silence.

She slips the necklace out of the box, absentmindedly putting the container to one side before undoing the fastener. "Maroon and gold go well together, according to Senator Amidala."

"Yeah," Rex rubs the back of his neck, "she may have helped pick it out."

"You're kidding!" Ahsoka laughs, putting the choker on and fastening it behind her neck. The thought of Rex and Padmé going shopping on Coruscant together makes her giggle- the _HoloNet_ would've had a field day.

"I had no idea what I was looking for. She helped narrow down the options." Rex explains, "Hang on, you've got it twisted."

He grabs her shoulders, spinning her around before moving his hands to her neck. She reaches a hand around, holding her back lekku out of the way for him to re-do the choker so it sits flat against her neck, "There."

"Thanks," she gives him an appreciative smile as she turns back around, "I love it, Rex, but what's the occasion?"

He shrugs, looking both cocky and awkward at the same time. "I figured you deserved something nice. The new lightsaber, Padawan braid extension. It's your first mission leading the guys without the General, and it probably hasn't been fun having to look after him through all his- you know-"

"Yeah," she says, her smile faltering slightly, "It was thoughtful of you, Rex. I don't get gifts often."

He gives her a kind smile, "It's not much, Ahsoka; it's only a necklace. You'll bin it after-"

"Never." She touches the pendant tenderly, "I'll keep it for forever and a day."

Rex chuckles, "I'm glad you like it, Commander. Maybe don't tell the lads though."

Fives would _certainly_ get a kick out of Ahsoka wearing a necklace that Rex gifted to her.

"Only Echo will be observant enough to notice." She grins back at him, "My new outfit seems to be catching enough attention already."

He rolls his eyes, "Fives will get his head blown off one day for thinking about his COs outfits instead of the droids he's supposed to be shooting at."

She laughs, feeling like she ought to get him something too.

Maybe she'll go shopping once they get back to Coruscant, get him the new DC-17 accessory he's been rambling on about for weeks now.

With one last smile, she opens the door to the cockpit, "Let's make the jump, guys."

"Copy that, Commander." Ridge says from the pilot seat, "Locking the coordinates."

"Ready, Captain?" She glances at Rex with a smile.

He flashes a smirk- courtesy of spending so much time with Anakin that he's mirroring her Master's facial expressions, "When you are, sir."


	3. Chapter 3

"Did you hear what I just said?"

Anakin looks up at his wife, scanning her face for any indication of what they were just talking about. He comes up with nothing and curses under his breath, "Sorry, Angel."

Padmé gives him a small smile, even though it’s the fifth time he’s lost track of their conversations since this morning, "It's fine; it's been a long day."

He glances at the chrono on the wall of her office and groans, "It's not even lunchtime."

When he's on the battlefield, weeks can pass without him realising, but as soon as he has to spend a few days in the Senate Building on Coruscant, it feels like a lifetime.

"I'm sure I would find the front lines just as tiresome as you find politics." Padmé puts a gentle hand on his shoulder, trying to be comforting, but it just makes Anakin feel small.

He slumps his chin in his hand, bored out of his mind, "Can we go home now?"

Padmé sighs above him, "One more meeting, and _then_ we can leave."

Following his wife around her daily duties was _not_ what Anakin had in mind when the Council grounded him.

The work isn't exactly hard- especially not compared to fighting on the front lines- but Anakin finds it difficult. Diplomacy has never been his strong suit, and neither is reading. Politics is _all_ about reading.

His academic skills have been slacking recently. That's another reason why Obi-Wan forced him to see Master Che. The pills don't make him any smarter, but at least he can read three lines without the words jumbling up.

He zones out in the meeting, only catching brief murmurs of 'anti-war terrorism' and 'attacks against military personnel'. For the rest of the conversation, he's in his own world- as per usual- deciding how he's going to kill Dooku at the end of the war.

On the one hand, a straight lightsaber to the chest will be the most efficient way to kill the Count, especially if they're in the midst of a battle.

Although, Force-choking will give the Sith Lord a chance to feel some remorse for all the pain and suffering he's caused across the galaxy. However, from Anakin’s own experience, he knows how hard it is to think whilst being Force-choked.

Maybe he should cut the man's limbs off and-

Padmé kicks him gently under the table, bringing him back to reality.

Everyone is staring at him expectantly. _Blast._ What were they talking about?

Padmé- thank the Force- saves him from humiliation with a small look, "None of your men have been the victims of attacks from the Knights of Freedom, have they, General Skywalker?"

Knights of Freedom?

"Um, no... Senator." Kriff, he can feel his ears heating up. He gets frustrated at himself for not being able to pay attention. What good is he on the battlefield if he can't focus on a Senate meeting?

Before his anger towards himself overboils, Padmé gives him a subtle nod; _you said the right thing_.

He breathes slowly, willing himself to not overact. _It's not a big deal_ , he says to himself, _it’s only a Senate meeting with a handful of attendees._

"There are two similarities across the two dozen attacks that have taken place." Commander Fox says, the only person in the meeting- beside Anakin- who has an _ounce_ of military experience. "The clone never sees their attacker, and it's always an attack which deforms part of their face, either through chemical burns, or brunt force."

Anakin's majorly confused. It must show on his face because Padmé pushes her datapad towards him, the screen displaying the content of the meeting. He skims through it, not bothering with the large paragraphs of text but looking at the pictures of different clones whose faces have been deformed or mutilated.

“Who’s doing this?” He murmurs to Padmé, not wanting everyone to know how oblivious he is.

“The Knights of Freedom; they’re an anti-war terrorist group.” She whispers back, "They've been around since the Battle of Teth, but only recently have they become more violent."

"Targeting clones?" He feels his grip on the datapad tighten at the thought of a pacifist terrorist group purposefully going after the soldiers under his command. How is it ‘anti-war’ to attack clone troopers who are fighting because that’s what they were _created_ and _ordered_ to do?

The Separatists are the evil warmongers, not the Republic.

"Specifically, the young ones." She sighs, "Nobody in the Senate seems to want to do anything about it. Commander Fox is putting his back out just to spread awareness."

"I’m surprised the Council haven’t mentioned this," Anakin mutters. Padmé hums in agreement, tuning back into the meeting and he tries to do the same. Later, he’ll have a _long_ chat with Obi-Wan about sorting this out.

"Besides their reputation of harming clone troopers, the Knight of Freedom are yet to cause any _real_ damage." The Chancellor says, folding his hands over the table, "Without any solid evidence that the Knights are behind these attacks, I suggest we don't get involved until they give us a reason to."

Padmé shifts in her seat, "Respectfully, Chancellor, we ought to protect our soldiers from these sorts of attacks."

"They ought to be wearing their helmets at all times whilst on Coruscant." The Chancellor tuts, "The Knights of Freedom- if they are the ones behind this- have only caused cosmetic damage; they haven't _killed_ any troopers yet."

Fox looks like he's biting his tongue- _hard_.

"The clones shouldn't be living in fear on the planet where they're meant to be enjoying leave." Anakin steps in, knowing the Chancellor will listen to him. "Even cosmetic damage is going to cost the Republic a lot of money to transport the seriously injured clones back to Kamino for treatment.”

Padmé gives him a sharp look, but Anakin already knows what he’s going to do.

“I'm volunteering to help Commander Fox with the investigation, your Excellency. He and I will find the evidence to hold the Knights of Freedom accountable, and then diversify our team to bring them to justice."

He knows Ahsoka will be up for the task.

The Chancellor glances at him, "You want to involve the Jedi, Anakin?”

Anakin feels his throat constrict- there will be hell to pay with the Council later. “Yes, sir.”

His mentor and friend smiles, “Very well.”

"This _isn't_ what the Council had in mind when they suspended you from active duty." Padmé hisses when they leave the meeting room.

"It wasn't a suspension." He sighs, walking with her down the corridor, "It's just a break for me to get my head on straight before the next big campaign."

Padmé narrows her eyes at him, "Do _you_ feel ready to go back onto the field?"

He opens his mouth just as Fox arrives, and the Commander outstretches a hand, "I appreciate your offer to help, General Skywalker."

Anakin shakes the man's hand, "No need to thank me, Fox. Apologies for not knowing about this situation sooner. The Jedi swear to protect the Republic citizens from terrorism, and that includes their soldiers."

"If it's alright," Fox glances at Padmé before returning his steel-like gaze to Anakin, "we should get to work immediately."

"Of course." He turns to Padmé, bowing, "Milady."

"What about Ahsoka?" She asks, "Are you just going to let her lead the 501st Legion into battle all over the galaxy whilst you launch yourself into an investigation that could take months to complete?"

Anakin frowns, feeling angry that she has such little faith in him, "Senator Amidala, I'd respectfully ask for you to stay out of GAR and Jedi matters."

Her eyes widen, and Anakin instantly regrets his choice of words. They try to keep a strictly professional act on outside their own time, but that was too far. _You’ve kriffed up again_ , the voice in his head scolds.

Then, as soon as she displays her shock, Padmé regains her composure, "That's fine, Master Jedi."

She spins on her heel and storms down the corridor, her dress flowing behind her. Anakin sighs, turning back to Fox who remains dutifully at parade rest, his eyes portraying nothing about his thoughts of their little dispute, "Lead the way, Commander."

His wife isn't wearing her happy face when he gets home that night.

"You're late," she says as she opens the door, a glass of wine balanced in one hand.

"Good evening to you too, my love," he leans down to kiss her cheek, and Padmé returns him with one of her own which is a sign that she isn't absolutely fuming- only marginally irritated. "Sorry about earlier."

His meeting with Fox was a complete waste of time. All the victims are either on Kamino receiving treatment or already back in the field, and without them, there’s no evidence of the Knights of Freedom attacking clone troopers. The only thing he got from the meeting was a headache.

"Sorry for what? Defaming me or signing yourself up to a task that you don't have any knowledge about, _and_ aren't emotionally stable enough to take on?"

"I _am_ emotionally stable!" Anakin swings to the side, his prosthetic fist colliding with the door frame to emit a loud clang.

"Ani," Padmé sighs, looking at the dented metal with a calm expression underlined with frustration- she's well-accustomed to his outbursts by now.

Force, he feels like tearing his hair out. He starts rambling, "I'm- I'm sorry; I'll fix it."

"Anakin, stop," Padmé lightly takes his wrist, pulling him inside. "I shouldn't have pushed you."

He lets himself take a few deep breaths before speaking- lest he blurts something out that he'll regret later. "I thought you would be happy that I'm trying to get back into my normal routine."

"Investigating terrorism isn't your job, Anakin- it's Commander Fox's." They sink down onto the couch, subconsciously entwining themselves in each other's arms. Padmé rests her head against his chest whilst he strokes her lower back, "I just don’t want you to overwork yourself again.”

He kisses her forehead, "I won’t.”

He isn't sure when they fall asleep on the couch, still fully clothed and entangled in each other's arms, but when Anakin wakes up, the early morning light is seeping into the room and his commlink's beeping.

"Skywalker here," he grunts, his throat dry from snoring. He rubs his eyes, wondering why something feels _off._

 _"Hey, Skyguy!"_ The stress of the universe seems to evaporate once he hears Ahsoka's voice, and Anakin's suddenly wide awake. _"Sorry for waking you."_

"It's fine," he lies Padmé down on the couch, moving away so he won't wake her, "How's your mission going? Is everything alright?"

 _"Everything's great, Master."_ He can almost hear her rolling her eyes, _"We're just setting our hyperspace coordinates."_

On their way back already?

Four days have flown by- probably because he's been too busy on 'diplomatic errands' to notice the lack of a chirping Togruta by his side. He'll admit, he's missed Ahsoka's company, but it's been nice to have some time off, even if it's spent in Senate meetings.

"Successful mission, I assume?" He stretches, feeling his back cramp slightly from sitting for so long. He knows he and Padmé have _really_ overdone it when they fall asleep on the couch.

 _"You bet!"_ He smirks, expecting her answer. _"No casualties and no major injuries; I've never seen Rex so relaxed for four consecutive days."_

He's glad their mission didn't take a huge toll on them. He trusts Ahsoka to take care of the men, but part of being an officer is accepting that some things are out of your control, and sometimes, casualties can't always be avoided.

"No major injuries," he repeats, "What about bumps and bruises?" He's directing his question more at _her_ than his men.

 _"I'm clean, Master."_ Ahsoka laughs, _"You can ask Coric when we get back if you don't believe me."_

"I will." Ahsoka takes after him when it comes to hiding injuries. "How did the new guys do? Tread, Solo and Sixty-one, right?"

 _"Sixteen,"_ Ahsoka corrects him subtly, _"They all did great. Did you hear Cody sent one of his new guys with us at the last minute? Shiny named Blinder."_

Anakin frowns, "No, I wasn't aware. Was he any trouble?"

_"He was really sweet, and pretty handy with the Z-6 rotary blaster cannon- just like Hardcase. The only thing was that he-"_

Anakin goes towards the balcony as Ahsoka rambles on- her words going over his head. He tries to keep up- he really does- but his efforts are futile. He could barely keep track of what Fox was telling him earlier.

They spent most of the evening going through incident reports, only to come up with nothing, just dead ends without any clues as to who the Knights of Freedom were, and where they were hiding.

Once in the open air, he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath of-

Smoke.

Anakin snaps his eyes open. Ahsoka's still talking, but he doesn't hear a word as he registers the smoke filling the sky, originating from one area of the surface which is blazing orange.

The barracks.

Good cosmos.

_"-he and Chopper ended up getting along really well."_

"Sorry, Snips," Anakin strides back into the apartment and switches on the _HoloNet News_. "I lost you there; what was that?"

He hears her sigh in frustration, _"I was telling you about Blinder. Are you busy, Master? I can just speak to you when we get back to Coruscant."_

He doesn't answer, his eyes drawn to the screen where a reporter is stood in front of the blazing barracks. There are clones everywhere, the four Coruscant Guard Commanders shouting orders whilst the local authorities try to calm the flames engulfing the block of barracks.

His heart plummets.

 _"We still don't know the cause of the fire, but a source revealed to us that at least a hundred clones are still inside the building."_ The reporter says, _"The fire brigade is doing everything in their power to save as many lives as possible. Alex Perz, Coruscant News."_

_"Hello? Anakin?"_

He shakes his head, knowing what he has to do. "Sorry, Snips, I have to go. See you tomorrow."

Anakin turns, not expecting to see Padmé stood up with a hand over her mouth as she watches the fire on the news.

"I'll be back," he promises, darting forwards to kiss her cheek before running out of the door. It's a good thing he's still in his uniform.

"Be careful!" He hears Padmé shout as he breaks into a sprint for the hanger.

It doesn't take long to reach the barracks. Smoke is thick in the air, burning his eyes and throat as he pushes the speeder to its limits, flying through the lanes of traffic at dangerously illegal speeds.

It's a big fire. He can feel the heat from several blocks away. Clone undersuits aren't fire-retardant like a Jedi's uniform is, and Padmé's demanding it as a requirement for the new clone armour being drawn up.

The speeder spits as he pulls up to the scene, vaulting himself into the chaos.

"Commander Fox!" He calls over the worried shouts of clones and the crackling of the building as it's cremated.

The officer turns, the flames reflecting off his visor, "General Skywalker."

He skips the questions about how the fire started and jumps to knowing the most important thing, "How many men are still inside?"

"We're trying to get an official figure of attendance." Fox tells him, "By my numbers, ninety men are inside still. It's not structurally sound to get them out via the entrance. We're waiting for a gunship to extract them from the roof."

Anakin's jaw clenches, "ETA?"

"Twenty." He can hear the anger in Fox's tone, and he doesn't blame him because twenty minutes is _too_ long to leave so many troopers inside a burning building that looks like it'll collapse in a matter of minutes.

The heat blazes against Anakin's face as he looks up at the eleven-story building.

He can't save all ninety, but he'll give it his best shot.

"Use ladders for the lower floors and have medics ready," he claps Fox on the shoulder, "I'm going in."

Fox doesn't try to stop him, "Yes, sir!"

Then, Anakin jumps, crossing his arms in front of his face and staying tight in a ball.

"I am one with the Force and the Force is with me." He says as his body smashes through a blown-out window and he's suddenly surrounded by flames.

With the Force, he can shield himself from instantly being cooked alive, but it doesn't stop the smoke from penetrating his lungs. He drops low, taking a deep breath and then holding it to avoid as much of the toxic fumes as possible.

Already, it makes his head hurt.

He's on the seventh floor- probably. Spreading out the Force like a pair of antennae, he can feel the pulses of panicked Force-signatures around him, leading him to the surviving clones.

_Kriff, there're so many._

The bunk room door opens with ease and Anakin's relieved to see the fire door has worked in preventing the flames from engulfing the room, but now the door's gone, it won't be long until this room becomes a bonfire.

There are three clones inside, huddled under the furthest bunk with their helmets on but no armour in sight. They've followed procedure, but unless they get out _now_ , they'll be as good as dead.

He ignites his lightsaber, using it a beacon for the clones to follow once he lifts the bunk off them. There's a chant to shout whilst evacuating people, but he can barely remember what he ate for breakfast, and every time he opens his mouth, he's letting ash settle in his lungs, so he sticks to what he knows.

The three brothers hold onto each other's shoulders as they follow him. Fires are disorientating, and Anakin's relying entirely on the Force to guide them back to the window. He can feel his eyebrows slowly getting scorched off, and his cheeks are burning painfully. Hopefully, his uniform will protect most of his body.

There was a slave on Tatooine who got caught in a fire. Anakin shakes his head, pushing away the sight of the young man screaming as flames ravaged his body. The smell of burnt flesh was ingrained in Anakin's clothes for weeks.

He can't be thinking about that right now.

Fox is a reliable Commander; he already has the emergency trampoline set up beneath them. Anakin wouldn't need that, but if the clones jumped without any protection, burns would be the least of their problems.

"Private!" He barks, rasping through the smoke, "Get you and your brothers down safely."

"Yes, sir!" The highest-ranking clone snaps back.

Anakin doesn't wait to supervise them. Right now, there are eighty-seven clones trapped in this building, and he needs to help as many as he can.

He takes the steps two at a time to climb the next floor, jumping over pieces of collapsed framework. Every barrack is covered in cladding. Anakin knows the builders took shortcuts to ensure the accommodation was built in time for the war.

Those shortcuts might kill tonight.

A clone appears in between the bunks, waving him through the middle, "Come quick, General! Goner's trapped!"

Anakin bites down the thought that Goner might _become_ a goner as he follows the clone.

"Good cosmos," he murmurs when he sees the soldier laying on the floor, his leg pinned with a metal rob.

"Part of the ceiling came down," the first clone tells him, and Anakin looks up to see a hole leading to the next floor. _Not good._ "He's trapped."

"Hang on, Goner," Anakin drops to one knee and ignites his lightsaber. He hesitates, wondering if taking out this rod will trigger a whole building collapse, but he doesn't have another option.

_Survivors can be dug out._

Applying weight to the bleeding wound where the rod split straight through plastoid, Anakin slices through the metal, thinking for a second that nothing will happen.

Then, he feels the weight of hot concrete and metal against his back, searing his tunic to his body at a molten temperature. A strangled groan escapes him as he jerks forwards, using the Force to push Goner away before rolling from the collapsing ceiling, the other clone scrambling after them.

"Goner, Goner!" The clone shouts for his brother who's pale, eyes unfocused.

Anakin doesn't hesitate. He throws Goner over his shoulder, wincing bitterly at the pain against his back before running to the closest window. A quick push of his hand shatters the glass, and he doesn't even look before jumping, only focusing on landing without breaking his knees.

_Three, two, one, land._

His eyes are blurry from the smoke, but he can make out Fox's armour in the distance. His ears are ringing, and his body thoroughly aches, but there's still a lot of men that need his help.

"We've got him, General,' he hears the grounding voice of a medic beside him, and the weight's lifted off his shoulders. Behind him, the other clone lands like a rag doll on the trampoline, screaming for his brother.

Someone helps haul him upright. Anakin looks back at the building, his eyes set on the eleventh floor where the Force is calling him to go.

He can feel the flames licking his neck as he passes through the window, and he swipes at his skin, only worsening the sensation.

_Focus. Do a headcount. Get the survivors out._

Eight of them.

Kriff.

Anakin isn't sure how many more times he can jump up and down this building with his lungs struggling for every breath and agonising pain going through his back.

"Grappling gun," he demands to the highest-ranking clone- a Sergeant.

The device is quickly smacked into his hand. Anakin aims it out the window, lines up his target and fires, securing the hook to the opposite barracks building which is untouched by flames.

"Use your guns to deploy," he orders, counting the men's shoulders as they go to the window before activating his commlink, "Fox, eight guys are zip lining to the east barracks; don't miss them."

_"Copy that, General Skywalker."_

He checks the rest of the floor, clears it, and dismounts to the tenth storey. There must be more men dotted around, he just has to find them.

"Can anybody hear me?!" He shouts, just managing to get the words out with some help from the Force to amplify his voice.

"Here!"

The shout is weak, coming from the south side of the building. He carefully makes his way over; aware that the building's structure won't be able to hold up. He hopes it doesn't come crashing down around him.

He ends up in a gym and immediately spots the two clones, trapped under one of the weight machines. There must be over four hundred pounds of weight resting on their upper bodies.

If he gets one out, it'll kill the other.

"General! General!" Anakin shakes his head, focusing on the conscious trooper trying to get his attention, "Please, help Coil! I... I don't think he's breathing!"

The other clone is limp, and Anakin doesn't need to take his pulse to know he's dying. Brushing his Force-signature, it's clear the weight is too much on his heart.

Still, one of the brothers is alive.

"Hang on, trooper," Anakin says, stretching out his hands, "Let me get you out first."

"No! No!" The clone starts to squirm when Anakin reaches for him, "Get Coil out!"

"I'll come back for him," Anakin lies, despising himself instantly, "I promise, just let me help you!"

The building's shaking and Anakin's getting weaker. Fox's voice rings over his comm with alarm, _"General Skywalker, are you there?!"_

"Bear with me," he forces through gritted teeth, telekinetically lifting the weight machine away, "Can you walk?"

"I... I think so," once his limbs are free, the clone wriggles out from under the machine, looking worriedly at his comrade.

"Don't worry about him right now!" Anakin snaps, "Get out from there before I-"

The building jerks, and he loses his grip, the weight machine falling again. This time, the clone's leg is in the way, and Anakin hears the man's leg snap like a twig.

The man's scream is gut-wrenching.

 _"General, she's coming down!"_ Fox shouts.

If he's quick, Anakin can come back for Coil and let the medics try to revive him.

Tossing the weight machine aside, he scoops up the first clone and races from the window, gasping when the fresh- if smoky- air hits him. It burns, searing his nostrils and throat.

He lands with a rough roll, already passing the clone over to a medic to spin around and return to the building for Coil when the ground trembles beneath him.

Frantic hands grab his robes, dragging him along the ash-covered tarmac faster than he can pick himself up. There's a bang behind him, loud enough to rattle his bones, and Anakin's world goes black.


	4. Chapter 4

Ahsoka takes the hand that Rex holds out to her, allowing him to pull her onto the ship ramp seconds before the outpost explodes into a ball of flames.

"Successful mission, I would say." She laughs, dusting the ash off her lekku.

"One of our easier ones," he agrees, flicking some embers off her montrals as they walk to the cockpit where Ox and Ridge are flying the ship out of the atmosphere. "Troopers, put in the Coruscant hyperspace coordinates. Prepare to jump in ten."

It was one of Anakin's strategies to break into the facility with a big group and get out with a smaller one to avoid any problems during departure. Most of the clones have been on the shuttle for nearly an hour now- preparing for a quick take off once Rex and Ahsoka destroyed the outpost. She would have to compliment her Master for such an effective strategy.

"Yes, sir." Ridge nods, setting the coordinates.

"I'll call Master Skywalker- let him know we're on our way back," Ahsoka tells Rex, waiting for him to nod in confirmation before she leaves the cockpit.

She walks through the ship to get to a more private area, passing by the different groups of troopers. Fives and Echo are with Solo and Sixteen, showing them how to adjust their HUDs from the standard Kamino setup to something more personalised.

The three medics are huddled together, going over their post-mission gear checks. Only Ridge and Jesse walked away from the mission with injuries, and the aspiring ARC has to rest up a bit so his arm will heal whilst Ridge is all patched up. She's glad those are the worst of the wounded.

Hidden in the corner of the room are Chopper and Blinder. She and Rex were equally surprised when the closed off veteran showed an interest in befriending the 212th shiny. They've been inseparable since the start of the mission, and although they always talk to each other with their helmets on, Ahsoka's knows they have found comfort in each other's scars.

Maybe she can speak to Cody about transferring Blinder to the 501st. That way, Chopper will have some tolerable company and Blinder won't feel so isolated amongst his unscarred brothers.

Sure, Cody is scarred, but it's nothing compared to Chopper's injuries.

The back door opens, revealing the small bunk room which can only sleep half the troopers on board. Jesse and Hardcase are occupying one bunk, the latter curled into one corner whilst the injured vod lies out flat, his eyes closed.

"How is he?" Ahsoka asks quietly, not wanting to stir Jesse.

Hardcase glances up from cleaning what looks like Jesse's blaster, giving her a smile, "Knocked out, Commander. Kix gave him some strong pain meds."

Ahsoka nods, peering at the bandages around Jesse's bicep where a stray blaster bolt caught him. It wasn't bad enough to pull him out of the fight, but knowing Jesse, he would fight with two limbs hanging off.

She glances down at her commlink, frowning before stepping into the small fresher. Better she speaks to Anakin in an enclosed space instead of waking Jesse up with her Master's rather loud voice.

 _"Skywalker here."_ Ahsoka remembers it's early morning on Coruscant, and judging by Anakin's raspy voice, he was asleep. That's a good thing considering how bad his insomnia can get.

"Hey, Skyguy!"She says into the device, "Sorry for waking you."

 _"It's fine,"_ he yawns loudly, _"How's your mission going? Is everything alright?"_

"Everything's great, Master."She rolls her eyes at the way he doubts her, "We're just setting our hyperspace coordinates."

_"Successful mission, I assume?"_

"You bet!" She grins, "No casualties and no major injuries; I've never seen Rex so relaxed for four consecutive days."

 _"No major injuries,"_ he repeats sceptically, _"What about bumps and bruises?"_

"I'm clean, Master." Ahsoka laughs, "You can ask Coric when we get back if you don't believe me."

 _"I will."_ He promises, _"How did the new guys do? Tread, Solo and Sixty-one, right?"_

"Sixteen," She corrects him subtly, impressed he remembers the other two names, "They all did great. Did you hear Cody sent one of his new guys with us at the last minute? Shiny named Blinder."

She can hear the frown in his voice, _"No, I wasn't aware. Was he any trouble?"_

"He was really sweet, and pretty handy with the Z-6 rotary blaster cannon- just like Hardcase. The only thing was that he didn't like taking off his helmet, and you know how the guys feel about that. The poor thing had acid thrown at him on Coruscant. Can you believe that? Cody said it was a terrorist group. Anyways, it was actually quite nice because he and Chopper ended up getting along really well."

 _"Sorry, Snips,"_ Anakin says, and she intuitively knows he hasn't been listening, _"I lost you there; what was that?"_

She sighs in frustration, "I was telling you about Blinder. Are you busy, Master? I can just speak to you when we get back to Coruscant."

No answer. It's odd for him to be getting distracted when all he's doing is speaking to her in the middle of the night.

"Hello? Anakin?"

 _"Sorry, Snips,"_ he apologises again, _"I have to go. See you tomorrow."_

She ends the call with a frustrated sigh. Anakin's never been good at focusing on one thing at a time, but he will rarely push her away because he's bored.

 _It's not a big deal_ , she says to herself as she slides out of the fresher. Compared to a month ago, Anakin is doing a million times better.

She meets Hardcase's eyes, "You were in there a long time, Commander."

"That's a bit personal, Hardcase." She responds, even though she's only teasing, "I didn't want to wake Jess up whilst I called the General."

She had learnt that referring to him as 'Anakin' or 'Master Skywalker' usually made her troops frown or cringe.

"Ah." Hardcase nods, "When he's coming back to the front lines, sir?"

Ahsoka stiffens slightly, "It shouldn't be too much longer."

Hardcase nods, looking back down the barrel of Jesse's blaster to check for any grime or oil.

Anakin's reason for leaving the field hasn't been revealed to the men yet, and whilst they're already coming to their conclusions based on his day-to-day behaviour before he was grounded by the Council, they've stopped asking Ahsoka for an explanation because they know she won't spill.

She leaves the injured man and his closest brother in peace, heading towards the main hull to discuss Jesse's status with the medics. There will be an injury report to fill out, and she doesn't want to screw it up.

"We got him bandaged up pretty quickly, sir." Kix tells her, "The risk of infection is minimal."

"That's good to hear." She smiles at the three first aiders, "Tread, did you patch up Ridge?"

The youngest medics nods, "Yes, Commander, I-"

"We have him meds and cleaned the wound." Coric cuts in, "He'll heal up nicely."

Ahsoka shares an amused smile with Kix- _so much for giving Tread some independence_ , "Thank you; that's all."

She heads towards the cockpit once more. Rex is just stepping out as she reaches the door, "Spoke to the General, kid?" He knows what's going on, but only because he's the Captain.

She rolls her eyes, "Still older than you, Rexster."

He grins, amused, "What's he saying?"

"Not much." She leans against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest and resisting the urge to touch the choker that sits against her neck. "He asked how the shinies got on- I was surprised he remembered there were newbies joining us."

Rex mirrors her position whilst retrieving a ration bar from his belt, "Nothing interesting happening on Corrie then?"

She laughs, "Does _anything_ happen on Coruscant?"

Rex hums his agreement, offering her the ration bar once he's pulled back the wrapper. She takes the first bite- well used to the grainy cardboard texture- before passing it back. "We should get some _real_ food once we're back at the barracks."

"I second that." Rex chews the bar slowly, grimacing, "It would be nice to eat something that doesn't taste like chewy sand."

Ahsoka laughs, "You've been spending too much time around Anakin- only he would call-"

"Commander." They both turn at Ox's voice from the door to the cockpit. The newish clone stutters, "S-Sorry, sirs; I didn't realise you were having a conversation."

"It's fine, Ox." Ahsoka stands up straight, "What's up?"

"We're picking up a spotty distress deacon on our long-range scanners." Ox tells them, nervously glancing between the Captain and Commander as if he isn't sure which one he should be looking at.

"Let's check it out," Ahsoka says, exchanging a nod with Rex before following Ox into the cockpit.

"I can't get a lock on the coordinates, Commander." Ridge says, pressing a button so a holomap of the nearby system appears. He points at a pulsating red circle, "It's coming from here."

Ahsoka frowns, touching the map to zoom in, "It looks like a tiny starfighter." She straightens, "Make contact, Ridge."

They need to know what they're dealing with before they launch into a rescue mission.

"This is Republic transport A9-A5. Identify yourself." Ridge says into the comm, and everyone seems to hold their breath as they wait for a response.

Nothing comes. All they can hear is static.

Ahsoka leans forwards, closer to the microphone, "This is Commander Tano of the Grand Army of the Republic. Do you read me?"

"Maybe the pilot is unconscious." Ox mumbles, sitting in the co-pilot seat.

"Or dead." Rex mutters behind Ahsoka, "Your orders, Commander."

She thinks for a moment, trying to use the same mindset Anakin would use if he were in this situation. She highly doubts a tiny starfighter will stand a chance against their transport which is loaded with guns and heavily shielded, but she doesn't want to regret this.

"Move in slowly, Ridge. Let's get a closer look." She says eventually, meeting Rex's eyes. He nods, silently approving.

"Yes, sir." Ridge glances at Ox, "Put the thrusters on their lowest power."

"And re-set the hyperspace coordinates in case we need to make a quick jump." Ahsoka adds, glancing down at her commlink which starts flashing, "I'll be back in a moment."

She slips through the ship, wondering who's calling her now. It's a frequency from the Temple, so it's probably not Anakin as he always uses an untraceable frequency for 'privacy reasons'.

There's a quiet bench in the main hull where she sits, tapping her commlink, "Commander Tano here."

_"Ahsoka."_

"Oh, Master Kenobi, hello." Her eyebrows furrow a little, "I only spoke to Anakin a half hour or so ago. Isn’t it the middle of the night on Coruscant?”

 _"Yes..."_ Obi-Wan hesitates, then, _"Are you alone?"_

She glances around for any stray clones, feeling a knot starting to tighten in her stomach, "Yeah, what's up?"

She hears him sigh, _"There's been an incident- at the clone barracks."_

Ahsoka crosses her legs, trying to squash her rising panic as she feels impending doom start to weigh heavy on her shoulders, "What do you mean?"

More importantly, why isn't Anakin the one telling her this?

 _"One of the barracks caught fire."_ Obi-Wan's voice is calm, but she knows his collected persona is being forced. _"They've managed to get it under control, but a lot of men were trapped inside and couldn't escape. Anakin tried to get as many out as he could-"_

"Is Anakin alright?" She demands, a mixture of anger and fear growing inside her. She tries to expel the emotions into the Force, but everything feels out of place. It's as if her connection to the Force is wobbling. "Obi-Wan, where's my Master?"

 _"Calm down, Ahsoka; Anakin's alright."_ She nearly melts with relief, _"He's suffered some bad burns and respiratory damage, but Master Che is healing him with the Force."_

She sucks in a breath, "How many clones were killed?"

 _"We don't have the official numbers yet."_ Obi-Wan sighs heavily, _"The barracks collapsed, so the Jedi and Coruscant Guard will be working through the night to dig out as many survivors as possible."_

Ahsoka nods, even though it's just an audio call, "Stay safe, Master."

 _"I will, young one."_ He replies, and for a moment she feels a flicker of calm even after what he's told her. _"I don't think you should break this news to the men until you get back. If you like, I will help you tell them."_

Her next exhale is shaky, "Alright, Master."

She doesn't want to keep things from the clones, especially her closest friends, but she understands what Obi-Wan means. She feels helpless on this ship whilst clones on Coruscant are trapped under a torched building, and she can only imagine how Rex and the other veterans will respond to such a tragedy.

Once they get back to Coruscant, Obi-Wan will help her tell them. Then, they can deal with it in their own ways.

"Commander."

She snaps her head up to see Blinder watching her from the entrance to the hull. His hands are clenched into fists at his side, and his real eye is twitching.

_Great, he overheard her conversation with Obi-Wan._

"Blinder," Ahsoka stands, putting her commlink away, "How much did you hear?"

"Enough." He forces through gritted teeth. "I... Are the 212th alright?"

"Master Kenobi would've told me if there had been any significant losses to the 212th or 501st." She says, her voice cool. The Jedi Council would praise her for being so emotionless right now, but she just doesn't want Blinder to see her fear.

He nods, still tense. Ahsoka sighs, "The rest of the men can't find out until we get back."

His eyes snap to her, the glass one somehow glaring more, "Why, sir?"

"Because it'll make them panic, and there's nothing they can do to help their brothers whilst we're out here." She explains, walking towards the entrance to the cockpit. She knows Rex has too much respect to eavesdrop, and she doubts he let Ridge or Ox listen in either.

"What if it was the same terrorists who messed up my face?"

She looks over her shoulder with a frown, "Pardon, Blinder?"

"The fire." Subconsciously, the young clone touches his jaw where the scars are thick and tough, "That terrorist group could be behind it- the same ones who attacked me."

Ahsoka softens her expression, "Lots of things can start fires, Blinder."

Without another word, she steps into the cockpit, the incident on Coruscant getting pushed to the back of her mind as she sees the tiny starfighter through the viewpoint, "Hold it here, Ridge."

Their transport stops, and they're only half a klick or less away from the small ship which is still sending out a distress signal.

"What do we have here?" Ahsoka murmurs out loud.

It's a slim starfighter- probably single-pilot based on the size of the cockpit. It's decorated in buffed chromium, and the yellow finish is only visible in a few patches- highlighting the ship's age.

Why is a seemingly abandoned ship sending out a distress signal?

"That looks like some sort of parade ship." Ridge says, "It doesn't look fit for combat."

"I wouldn't be so sure; it's got two blaster cannons and proton torpedo launchers." Ahsoka says.

"Sir?" She can hear the frown in Rex's voice.

"I think it's an N-1 starfighter." She admits, "One of the original Nabooian prototypes. It has to be twenty or thirty years old."

"Why would an N-1 be all the way out here?" Rex questions. “We aren’t exactly _near_ Naboo.”

"We tried to get in contact a few more times, Commander." Ridge says from the pilot's chair. "No response."

She nods absentmindedly, her eyes glued to the starfighter. The Force is tugging at her, whispering warnings that feel like ice cold water running down her back. "Let's go. I doubt the pilot's alive."

"Good idea, Commander." Rex says, and Ahsoka can tell he's uncomfortable too.

The Force warnings get louder, and she feels a migraine coming on. "Ridge, Ox, make the jump to hyperspace."

"Yes, sir." Ox says, reaching for the consoles.

Before he can lock the hyperspace coordinates, the whole ship jolts forwards.

"Whoa!" Ahsoka shouts, barely managing to brace herself from falling headfirst onto the console. The ship is tugged forwards again- like it’s trudging through wet cement.

Ahsoka’s familiar with the sensation from her many _less-than-orthodox_ space missions with Anakin where they always seem to find enemies, "Just our luck- a tractor beam. Ridge, move."

The clone gives up his chair, allowing her to take over the controls. She tries to pull the ship around, but the tractor beam is stronger, "Rex!"

"On it." He replies- acting as her rock in a time of chaos. He takes Ox's chair, engaging the thrusters, "Is that from that blasted N-1?"

"Possibly." Ahsoka grunts, using all her might to swing the nose of the ship to the left. If they can just make the jump to hyperspace, they'll be alright. "Ridge, try to shoot that starfighter down! Ox, tell everyone to strap in!"

She pulls back a lever, increasing the engine power, "This might get a little bumpy. Rex, how much longer until we can make the jump?”

“Thrusters are at sixty percent power, sir.” Ahsoka grits, her teeth, pulling harder on the controls. “Sixty-three, sixty-eight.”

“I can’t hold her for much longer!” She cries.

“Seventy-one, seventy-six!”

“Ridge!” She shouts, feeling sweat build on her brow as she pulls against the tractor beam.

“The starfighter is shielded, Commander,” Ridge says, firing useless shots at the N-1. If only Anakin were here, he would be able to get them out of this mess. “We need to get out of here!”

“We’re at eighty-five percent power!”

 _“Commander, what’s going on?”_ She hears Echo ask through the comm.

The steering locks, and Ahsoka mutters a curse as the ship jolts back to face the source of the tractor beam, “Make the jump! Rex!”

The Captain is flung to the side of the cockpit, his head colliding with the thick glass of the viewpoint. He’s knocked out cold.

Ahsoka reaches out with the Force to press the button which will project them into hyperspace. They only have seconds before the tractor beam rips away all their controls, and they’ll be rendered helpless.

The moment the button flashes green, white light fills the viewpoint, forcing Ahsoka to close her eyes. Then, the ship is jolted forwards, not into hyperspace, but into the mouth of a starship that wasn’t there seconds ago.


	5. Chapter 5

_There's a scuttle of claws against steel as the Commander walks towards the Queen, bowing when she is a few feet away, "Your Majesty, the prisoners have been captured. We are just completing the process of decontamination."_

_"Excellent." The Queen's mandibles click in satisfaction, "The Host will be most pleased."_

Anakin cracks his eyes open, shutting them tightly when the white lights assault his sensitive retinas. For a moment, he stays still, trying to remember the vision that was swirling around his head as he rose out of unconsciousness, but he comes up blank.

 _The meds_ , he tells himself, _or the sickness itself._ For one reason or another, his dreams have been stranger over the past few months.

Taking a deep breath, Anakin tries to get a grip on his surroundings.

He's in the Halls of Healing- that would explain the smell of antiseptic and the dull throb of pain going through his entire body. The memories flood his system; flames against his skin, smoke filling his lungs and the screams of clones who were trapped inside.

"You're awake."

"Obi-Wan," Anakin rasps, slowly turning his head and wincing as the burned skin around his neck rubs against bandages, "How long?"

"Three days." Obi-Wan replies, dragging his chair closer to Anakin's bed, the scraping sound echoing through the room. His former Master looks worn with dark bags under his eyes and his hair dishevelled. "We've been worried, Anakin. Master Che said you've suffered some terrible burns."

"I'm alright," he huffs, even though he's stiff with agony. He can't even tell where exactly the pain is coming from. It hurts the most of his face and back, but he could be missing a leg for all he knows. "The clones?"

"Seventy-two were killed. Over a hundred were injured." Anakin deflates at the casualty statistics. Obi-Wan’s look turns sombre, "You managed to save fourteen."

"I should've saved more." Anakin says, feeling guilt weigh heavily on his heart. Seventy-two men are dead because he couldn't get to them in time.

He's supposed to kill droids, not his own soldiers.

"Anakin," Obi-Wan touches his arm gently, "You did everything you could. Commander Fox said you were prepared to jump straight back into the building as it was collapsing. Nobody could've asked for anything more from you."

The Knight frowns, and the skin around his mouth stings. He must've burned his face pretty bad. "I couldn't get Coil."

Obi-Wan says nothing, probably oblivious to who Coil is and how much pain the trooper was in before he died.

"Ah, he's regained consciousness." Master Che's sharp voice cuts through the silence. She appears above his face, her lips twisted in a grimace, "How are you feeling, Skywalker?"

He clears his throat, blocking out the pain that follows, "Crispy."

Master Che doesn't smile, but he sees the amusement sparkle in her eyes as she takes the datapad from the side of his bed, "You suffered damage to your lungs, as well as third degree burns on your face, neck and back."

Anakin grunts, "How long until I can leave?"

"Ever the impatient Jedi." She mutters under her breath before lowering the datapad, "You're extremely fortunate, Skywalker. Whilst you've been unconscious, we have worked tirelessly to heal as many of your injuries as possible. If your stats stay up, I'll discharge you this afternoon."

He hears the click of her boots as she walks away. It’s so quiet in the medbay- nothing compared to the chaos of the barracks that night. It’s almost _too_ quiet- it’s as if something loud is missing; he can’t put his finger on what though.

Anakin turns back to Obi-Wan, noticing that his lips are set in a thin line. "Do they know what started the fire?" It seems like a sensible question until the fog clears from his mind.

Obi-Wan gives him a seldom look, "The GAR has their suspicions."

"The Knights of Freedom." Anakin grunts, smiling slightly at Obi-Wan's surprised expression. "I _may_ have volunteered to help Fox with the investigation."

"Well, that was silly." Obi-Wan says, crossing his arms over his chest. "The Council were considering putting you back on the field."

His eyebrows raise and it feels like the top half of his face is getting ripped off, "Nobody told me that. When do I leave?"

"Not for some time, now." His former Master sighs, leaning down so his forearms rest on the side of his bed, "I'm afraid there's been an issue with your Padawan and her men."

It suddenly clicks why it feels eerily quiet.

Anakin lurches forwards, pulling himself out of bed despite the pain it causes, "What?"

"Lie down," Obi-Wan chides, even though he doesn't look angry, "You don't want to extend your stay here."

"Where's Ahsoka?" He demands, suddenly panicked because she was _supposed_ to get back the day after the fire, and he's been unconscious for three days. If she were on Coruscant, she would be by his side. "Obi-Wan, what happened?"

"We aren't sure." Obi-Wan sighs, guiding him back down to the bed, "I called to tell her about your injuries, and less than ten minutes later, she sent out a distress signal."

Anakin's overwhelmed. He spoke to Ahsoka that night; what the hell happened on their trip back to Coruscant? His chest gets uncomfortably tight, and the pain of the burns heightens as his stress overboils.

"We haven't heard from her since." Obi-Wan delivers the killing blow. "A nearby Republic planet sent out some starfighters to her location, but her ship was gone."

"That's impossible." Anakin spits out, reaching up a hand to tug the oxygen mask off his face, "They couldn't have just disappeared. Maybe a small fleet of Separatists turned up and she had to make a quick bolt-"

"Anakin." Obi-Wan cuts him off firmly, harbouring parental frustration. In his panic, Anakin forgot that his former Master also feels responsible for Ahsoka, and whilst he’s been unconscious, the elder Jedi has been worrying about both of them. "There was no evidence of any space battle or foul play."

"We won't know until we see for ourselves!"

It slips out. Sometimes, Anakin can’t help his thoughts from spilling out of his mouth without any warning. He doesn’t mean to take his anger out on Obi-Wan, but compared to some of the things he’s screamed at the Council over the past few months, what he said was tame.

"Calm down, Ani," the elder Jedi puts a hand on his arm, "We're stretched too thin to go on a rescue mission right now."

"They could've crashed landed and be close to death!" Anakin exclaims, his voice rising. Screw resources- Ahsoka needed help _now_ , not later. How could the Council just brush this aside?

"Stop shouting." Obi-Wan scolds, "You're only going to hurt yourself." He puts a firm hand on his shoulder, forcing him to the mattress.

"So, you're just going to let her die?" Anakin accuses, scowling at his former Master. Any Jedi would shun him for not controlling his actions, but Anakin and Obi-Wan both know that he’s using a _lot_ of self-control right now.

"No," Obi-Wan's brow furrows, "The Council will wait a few more days before sending out a rescue team."

It won’t do. In a few days, Ahsoka and her men could be dead. Worse, they could be tortured, sold as slaves, kept as prisoners in some Separatist prison. Dread floods his stomach as he imagines his Padawan being locked within the walls of the Citadel, and Anakin has to swallow down bile.

"I have to go."

It's his job. Ahsoka's _his_ Padawan- _his_ responsibility. He's also responsible for his men who are with her. Nobody can force him to stay here whilst his friends- _his best friend_ \- needs him.

" _Only_ when Master Che clears you for hyperspace travel," Obi-Wan says sternly, leaving no room for argument. “Your lungs were severely damaged. You getting sick from space travel or overexertion is _not_ going to help Ahsoka right now.”

Anakin sighs in defeat, sagging against his bed. He’s so frustrated he could cry.

“I know you don’t like sitting by,” Obi-Wan says, his voice soft, “but please have faith in your student that she will be able to hold out until we can send help.”

He closes his eyes, “I will find her.”

“I know you will.”

 _Just hang on, Snips,_ he thinks as he hears Obi-Wan’s light footsteps walking away, _I'm coming for you._

* * *

Ahsoka’s head hurts. It doesn’t make sense considering she was sat in the pilot’s chair which has automatic safety restraints. She sighs, curling over in her bunk. Kix will be along any moment to wake her up, telling the story of a clone who fell asleep with a concussion and never woke up again.

For now, she enjoys the quiet. There are birds chirping songs to each other, their messages short and sweet through the gentle breeze. The dirt feels like soft sand beneath her, and when there aren’t rocks jabbing into her sides, the grass is comfortable to rest her head on.

_Wait._

Ahsoka peeks open an eye, expecting to see the stark whiteness of a medbay, or maybe the grey walls of the bunk room on the ship.

She’s not on a ship, and she’s certainly not on Coruscant.

She’s in a meadow.

What the heck? She was on her ship with Rex and the rest of her men, not sleeping in a meadow. She sits up, immediately on edge as she sees her men sprawled around the small opening, all in similar states of waking up.

This… isn’t _right_.

"Rex," she hisses, scrambling over to the man to shake his shoulder.

"Five more minutes..." He murmurs, pulling away from her hand. Ahsoka frowns; it isn't like Rex to not be up at the first call, especially in an unfamiliar environment. Maybe he hit his head, or they had to hike for hours on end.

She tries to remember, but there’s a _gap_. The last thing she remembers is the ship. What happened on the journey, she has no idea.

Is she going crazy? She touches the ground, feeling the grit of dirt beneath her fingertips. The sun is high above them- how long have they been asleep?

More importantly, _why_ are they asleep? Clones never rest without putting someone on watch.

"Rex, I'm serious; wake up!" She shakes his shoulder harder, "Rex!"

"What?" He whines, blinking groggily at her. Slowly, the realisation dawns in his golden eyes, "Commander? Where are we?"

"I was hoping you could tell me." She answers, a noise from her left grabbing her attention. Ahsoka spins- wondering why her montrals are so sensitive- to see Blinder is sitting up.

"Sir?" The shiny looks around, his helmet off for once. _No, a quick glance around confirms none of the men have their helmets. What the kriff?_ "What's going on?"

"I don't know, Blinder," Ahsoka admits, standing up and feeling slightly shocked that her legs still work. Why wouldn't they be working? "Everyone, get up!"

Thankfully, everyone seems less inclined than Rex to protest, and a million questions are fired at Ahsoka as they realise they aren't on the ship. Her heart starts to thud faster in her chest as Ahsoka realises that she isn’t the only one with a gap in her memory.

She’s never heard of _group amnesia_ before.

"Weren't we on a rescue mission?" Ridge asks, rubbing his forehead as if he has a headache.

"I..." Ahsoka furrows her brow, unable to cross the gap in her memory, "I can't remember. Rex?"

"I'm coming up blank, sir." Her Captain looks off, as if the confusion is hitting him harder than anyone else. His tone is far too stiff, and if Ahsoka knows Res, tension in his voice is never a good sign. "If the last thing we all remember is being on the ship, then where the kriff is the ship?"

Everyone pauses, glancing around. Ahsoka feels a twinge of fear in her chest, but she tries to brush it off, "Could've been ejected?"

"All of us?" Fives asks sceptically, "And we _all_ landed in the same place?"

"Got a better idea, ARC?" Rex snaps, wiping the smile off Fives' face with a sharp look.

Ahsoka blinks at his reaction. Rex is usually the level-headed one in these types of situations. It's Anakin's job to get flustered and start snapping.

_Force, Anakin!_

She checks her wrist commlink, cursing, "Anyone got signal?"

Murmurs of 'no sir' sweep through the group, making Ahsoka sigh in frustration. There goes requesting an evac.

She wants to contact her Master, but there's something she's forgotten- something important that Obi-Wan told her on the ship. It doesn’t help that she can’t access the Force as easily as she would like to- but that’s probably due to her headache.

"Medics," she draws the attention of the three men who are huddled together, "What are the chances of us all getting concussions and amnesia from a crash landing?"

"Extremely low." Coric supplies, a frown permanently marking his face. “We would have other injuries if we crashed.”

"Not impossible." Tread chirps up, "We don't know which planet we're on. There could be gas in the air that's making us forget."

"Good point." Ahsoka chews her lip, wondering what in the universe to do next. Her fingers tap anxiously on her lightsabers, making her think, "Everyone got their weapons?"

"With extra ammo." Hardcase speak up, showing her two extra cartridges for his Z-6.

"Don't you always stock up after a mission anyways, Hardcase?" Echo asks, "You might've forgotten." He glances at Ahsoka, "The chance that someone _put_ us here without any helmets and loaded weapons is _highly_ unlikely, Commander. If we were prisoners, we would be in cells and stripped to our blacks, not asleep in a meadow.”

She manages a smile, "I'm not _that_ crazy for that to be my first explanation, Echo." He gives her a nod in understanding. "What about injuries? Is anyone hurt? Chopper?"

"Just resting, sir." The lone trooper says, slumped against a rock with his eyes closed.

"Jesse," Kix says, worry clear in his tone as he approaches his brother.

Ahsoka walks over to them, concerned for the trooper who was injured from their mission on... where were they blowing up an outpost again?

“I didn’t have my armour on whilst we were in transit,” Jesses says, and Ahsoka’s never seen the aspiring ARC look so scared. Something _very_ strange is going on here. Her men aren’t acting like themselves at all.

She shakes away her panic at the situation they’re in, watching as Kix removes the armour around Jesse's arm, mutters, "Good cosmos."

"What?" She demands, leaning over the medic's shoulder to see the wound, "Oh..."

The wound's gone, and in its place is a pinkish scar. Ahsoka's no medic, but she knows his injury was going to take some time to heal. Bacta’s good, but it’s not a miracle healer.

"Coric," she turns to the senior medic, "How long was that going to take to heal?"

"Three to four days with the right care." The Sergeant frowns, "Jesse, does it hurt?"

"No, sir." The aspiring ARC flexes his bicep, not showing even a wince. "It just feels a bit like a fading bruise."

Ahsoka meets Rex's eyes, seeing the same worry in his golden irises that she feels. The question is: how long have they been unconscious, and what caused Jesse's wound to heal so nicely?

“Like Tread said,” Kix says, tilting Jesse’s arm to examine it from every possible angle, “We don’t know which planet we’re on, but some natural gases can contain medicinal properties. There may just be a high percentage of hydrogen or something?”

“And how would you explain the memory loss?” Coric asks, sceptical.

“Chloroform?” Tread proposes when Kix only shrugs.

“Chloroform.” Coric grits his teeth, “Kid, if this atmosphere was filled with chloroform, we would all be dead.”

Ahsoka turns away from the bickering medics, looking to Rex. She subconsciously touches her choker, smiling inwardly when she touches the diamond.

"Something isn't lining up," he murmurs to her quietly, "No ship, no helmets, no comm signal." He sighs, "What are we going to do?"

It's the first time Rex has asked her that question because he doesn’t know himself.

Ahsoka mirrors his sigh with one of her own, propping her hands on her hips as she looks over the grass planes, "We should cover some ground, try to find the natives." She gestures to the clear paths through the swaying grass, reminding her on Maridun, "This planet is obviously inhibited. Can you take point?"

He nods before turning to the men, "Get your gear, troopers; we're moving out."

“Yes, sir,” the men snap together, jumping to their feet. Their eagerness to get going proves how worried they all are. No clone likes to stay in one spot if they don’t know if it’s completely safe.

Ahsoka stops beside Sixteen and Solo, gesturing for them to go ahead of her. "You two alright?"

Sixteen glances at his batch mate before speaking, "Just anxious, Commander."

She nods, understanding, before Solo chips in, "Waking up with amnesia on an unknown planet wasn't covered on Kamino."

Ahsoka smiles, hoping to put them at ease, "Well, once we get back to Coruscant, maybe you should make a suggestion to the Kaminoans."

Sixteen chuckles, "The long-necks don't listen to us- sorry- I mean the Kaminoans.”

"Don't apologise; I know the clones aren't fans," she smirks, "I'm not friends with any of the long-necks, so you can slander them as much as you like.” She opens her arms, “Not like there’s anyone around!”

Solo and Sixteen chuckle, straightening their shoulders as they follow the rest of the pack. Rex leads the group, heading towards a cairn which appears to be a few klicks away. Hopefully, the natives will be near the land marker.

 _Wish you were here, Anakin_ , Ahsoka thinks to herself, smiling bitterly as she follows the others.

This planet is strange. She can hear birds chirping, but there are no trees around, and she hasn’t seen a single creature yet, not even ants. Maybe the medics were right about the unusual atmospheric gases.

Why can she hear birds but not see them?

The temperature’s odd too. It’s almost like the breeze is coming from directly above them. It’s warm enough for her to be comfortable, but the sun itself doesn’t seem to be radiating much heat.

Echo and Fives start singing up ahead, and the lyrics pick up as more men join in. Just ahead of her, Ahsoka sees Solo and Sixteen taking part in the drinking game. She’s glad the ARCs have found the way to ease the tension, even if everyone’s Force-signatures are buzzing with anxiety.

As Solo said, this type of scenario wasn’t covered on Kamino, and it certainly wasn’t covered in her Jedi training either.


	6. Chapter 6

Ahsoka doesn't know how long they've been walking for.

All she knows is that there are blisters on her heels, and the shinies are struggling. Solo and Sixteen are no longer chatting to each other, they're just dragging their feet. Peering up ahead, the rest of the men don't seem to be faring much better.

She jumps up to a rock- panting as it saps at her energy- to look over the grass planes. The cairn they're trying to reach is still some distance away, but how is that possible? It feels like they've been walking for days, and yet the sun is still high in the sky, and the birds are still chirping their repetitive song.

"Rex!" She calls, waiting for the group to stop whilst she stands on the rock, crossing her arms over her chest. "Let's have a quick rest."

"Yes, Commander," the Captain nods, running a hand over his head. She can tell he's just as frustrated as she is.

"Does anyone know how long we've been walking?" She asks the group of clones as they sag to the floor. Her eyes drift back to the cairn which looks no closer to them now than it did when they set off.

"Echo and I have sung Barmaid's Bum nineteen times through." Fives says, sitting back-to-back with his ARC brother.

"All eight verses and choruses." Echo adds proudly.

"Barmaid's Bum?" Ahsoka looks to Rex, confused.

"Drinking song." He explains, "You're a fast singer, Fives. That's a poor measurement of time." The Captain points upwards, "Sun's still high."

"Could be a long rotation period." Ridge proposes.

Ahsoka looks behind them, not being able to see the clearing where they woke up. She jumps off the rock to stand at Rex's side, lowering her voice, "However long we've been walking, we haven't seen any locals."

"Score," he replies, "I'm not willing to send our ARCs off on an unknown planet. Maybe we should set up camp?"

"Good idea," she nods in agreement, also not wanting to order Echo and Fives to scout ahead whilst they laze around. Their comms are dead, and for all they know, this could be a Separatist planet. "I'm just going to try something."

She sits on the ground, crossing her legs. After a quick scan of the group to see her men don't seem to be in any distress, she closes her eyes, sinking into a light meditation.

The Force is foggy on this planet- as if there's a big cloud holding it down. She can't reach Anakin through their bond, and the Force-signatures of her men are blurry. Even when she tries to focus on the ground and plant life around her, she struggles to get a feel for the Force flowing through everything.

Sighing, she refocuses, trying to remember how to do psychometry from the time Quinlan Vos hosted a seminar for the new Padawans. She's never been gifted in that area of her abilities, but she knows the basics.

_Focus on an object. Sink into the Force. Feel the object as if it is an extension of your own mind._

She focuses on the path where the men have settled. If any natives have walked on it within the past few weeks, she _should_ be able to track them.

Feeling the dirt beneath her fingers, Ahsoka sinks into the Force, connecting her mind to the ground. Then, as she's about to see if she can sense other life forms amongst the dirt-

"Commander."

The urgency in Rex's voice has Ahsoka snapping her eyes open. It's dark now, but that's not because time has passed since she went into meditation.

Over their heads, the clouds are black, and they're moving fast to cover the entire sky. Ahsoka can feel the rain start to hit her skin, the cold water quickly seeping through her clothes.

"What type of tropical storm is that?" Hardcase asks, "What is this place? Kamino?"

There's a crack, and Ahsoka closes her eyes tightly as lightning fills the sky. She can deal with a lot of things, but storms are a hard limit. It takes all her willpower to not move a few inches closer to Rex in fear.

The thunder follows quickly. It's loud enough for Ahsoka to feel it in her bones, and her arms subconsciously wrap around her body. The rain starts to pour harder, running down the tips of her lekku and dripping onto her bare shoulders.

She shivers- annoyed she didn't look for a more waterproof outfit when she went shopping with Padmé.

"You okay?" Rex asks, eyeing her suspiciously. He appears to be unfazed by the weather, and even without his helmet, his armour is watertight.

"Yeah," she manages a smile. Rex nods, even though her knows storms are one of her biggest fears. "Let's find some cover."

She turns to the grass planes which suddenly look less welcoming under a looming shadow of darkness, and the dirt path slowly becomes a muddy bog.

"There could be some sort of rock structure to take shelter under beside the cairn, sir." Chopper says from behind the Captain and Commander, making Ahsoka jump. Chopper isn't the type to make his ideas known in front of people- he only offers suggestions when Anakin asks him directly for one.

For all he's quiet and traumatised from his time under Slick’s command, Chopper is a genius.

"Let's head that way then." Ahsoka offers Rex a firmer smile as she starts to walk ahead.

"I'll bring up the rear." He says before raising his voice, "Fives, Echo, flank the Bluebird."

"Bluebird?" She repeats, amused whilst the two ARCs move to her sides, forming a triangle. She should've known Rex would never let her take point alone.

"Code." Echo tells her simply, his blaster raised for any potential dangers.

"How is that code?" She asks as the group starts to move. It's raining hard, but surprisingly, she can still hear the kriffing birds singing.

Which type of bird _sings_ in thunderstorms?

Ahsoka shakes her head, water droplets flying everywhere. "Does he know that I have a name?"

"You ought to be grateful, Commander." Fives chides, strolling along the muddy path instead of marching stiffly like Echo. "A clone has given you a nickname. You're one of us now."

She didn't think about it like that before.

Rex has named her- just like how he would name a younger brother. _She's one of them._ An unfamiliar feeling swells in her chest, and Ahsoka can’t put a name to it, but she could bet that if Master Obi-Wan were here, he would chastise her with a lecture about the dangers of attachment.

The wind suddenly picks up, hitting her in the chest with the momentum of the Force-push, and if it weren't for Echo's lightning-fast reflexes, she would've been sent to the muddy ground with a big splash.

"That's some strong wind." Echo says, removing his hand from her back once she's steady, "Maybe you should walk behind us, Commander."

When she hasn't got Anakin around, all the guys suddenly become mini-Skyguys who feel the need to protect her from every possible element.

"Echo," she tries to keep her frustration under wrap as she addresses him, "if Dooku lands with Jango Fett's jetpack in front of us, who do you think should be the first person to face him? You or me?"

"Us." Fives and Echo answer together without a moment’s hesitation.

"Force help me." She mutters.

“Respectively, sir, why would Dooku have Jango Fett's jetpack?” Fives asks, “The Count didn’t kill him- General Windu did.”

“Well,” she can’t help but crack a grin, “If _Mace Windu_ was to appear right now with Jango’s jetpack, I would happily let you guys take him on.”

Fives snorts, “If we can tag team Skywalker, then we’ll have no issues wiping the floor with Windu’s shebs.”

Ahsoka has heard the rumours of her Master taking on the two ARCs, and apparently, it isn’t a spar to be missed.

“I wouldn’t be so cocky, Fives.” Subconsciously, Ahsoka wraps her arms tighter around herself as the wind picks up, and the rain hits her skin like hail. “Anakin might be stronger and faster, but there’s a reason Windu’s on the Council. I want to curl into a ball when he looks in my direction.”

She shudders at the thought. When she was a youngling, she used to hide behind Master Plo’s legs whenever Windu was nearby. She imagines him in his Council chair, glaring daggers at her whilst she gives the reports of how she and her men woke up on an unknown planet without a ship.

Thinking about their current predicament sends panic right to her core. Ahsoka inhales sharply, scouring her memory for every teaching she’s ever learnt about being in unfamiliar scenarios.

She comes up with one of Obi-Wan’s lessons which he reiterates time and time again: _the answers can always be found in meditation, young one._

“Echo,” she reaches for the ARC’s pauldron, gripping onto it, “Take point. I’m going to do some Jedi stuff.”

“Yes, sir,” he replies, moving forwards and cupping her elbow with his gloved hand as she closes her eyes. The heat of his palm is a nice contrast to the chill settling in her bones.

“Why can’t I take point?” Fives whines- he always wants to be centre stage no matter what the situation is.

“Because you would purposefully walk the Commander through a puddle.” His brother snaps back, and Ahsoka smiles faintly as she slips into a deeper mediation than the one she did earlier, putting her faith into Echo to lead her and the others whilst she focuses on figuring a way off this planet.

* * *

“Watch your step, General.”

Anakin takes the hand that Fox offers, stepping carefully over the rubble. It’s been a few days since Master Che discharged him from the Halls of Healing, and he’s not quite back to normal yet. Walking hurts more than he wants to admit.

“Careful,” Padmé says softly as his foot slips on a crumbled foundation wall, his grip on Fox’s hand tightening a fraction. “Commander, how are the wounded?”

Fox’s response is unheard by Anakin as he looks out over the barracks which is now nothing but a pile of ashes. A few hours ago, it was officially declared free of survivors, and Padmé was the first- and only- politician in line to see the devastating ruin. Anakin joined her- purely because he needed to see the damage.

Padmé wants to have the wounded clones treated at Coruscant Medical whilst their current medbay on the planet is overrun and strained. There simply aren’t enough resources and staff to manage the wounded soldiers from the fire alongside the ones who are transported from battlefields across the galaxy.

For some unclear reason, Coruscant Medical- and the Senate- want nothing to do with the devasting aftermath of the _blatant_ act of terrorism nearly a week ago.

Commander Fox has been too busy with the reparations to focus on their investigation of the Knights of Freedom, but Anakin bets it's those _beasts_ behind this.

“It isn’t just the wounded soldiers who we are worried about.” Anakin says, cutting off either Fox or Padmé- he isn’t sure. “How many used to live in these barracks, Fox?”

“This was our biggest block. At full capacity, these barracks could house six hundred men.” Fox answers, sidestepping Anakin to assist him back down the pile of rubble. Usually, he would protest, but he’d rather not fall headfirst into a cremation site.

Besides physiotherapy, he barely leaves Padmé’s apartment. He’s spent hours scouring maps near Ahsoka's last known location and calling mercenaries who he knows travel those same routes. It's all bad news- nobody has seen her.

Their bond is all but inactivate, which stirs anxiety in his gut. Not hearing from Ahsoka is _one thing_ , but not being able to sense her presence is another.

He knows she isn't dead. If she were, he would be in a lot more pain than the healing burns are causing him. Wherever Ahsoka is, she's either unconscious or purposefully blocking him. Hopefully, it's the latter.

Only Ahsoka would manage to get herself into trouble on the way _back_ from a mission. He wishes she never went in the first place.

“I’ve reached out to a local homeless charity who I work with.” Padmé says once they’re back on flat ground, the only other people in the area being Fox’s assistant whose wheelchair can’t move well on the rubble. “They can provide accommodation for a hundred clones.”

“That won’t work.” Fox shakes his head, his Force-signature echoing regret and sadness. Anakin has to remember that he lost a lot of brothers in that fire, and now he has to _fix_ everything without any support from the Senate.

“Why not?” Anakin asks, “I know it’s not ideal to only solve half the problem, but having as many men housed as possible is what’s most important.”

“Clone troopers cannot legally accept aid from civilian charities. Hence why I have two squadrons squatting on the floor of my apartment.” Malia says, her eyes moving from Padmé to Fox, “Firestone called; we lost two more from- I quote- unsalvageable burn injuries.”

Besides him, Fox bites out a swear. “That brings the casualty stat up to eighty-three.”

Anakin can’t believe what he’s hearing. How many more men will have to die from this fire until someone starts taking it seriously? Padmé’s great, but one person can’t solve this huge logistical nightmare.

“I’m going to speak to the Council,” Anakin starts. “Maybe they can-”

“Appreciated, General, but it seems like the Jedi Council have their hands full.” Fox cuts him off, “I hear there hasn’t been any luck in locating Commander Tano.”

Anakin blinks, but Padmé is the one to answer, “Actually, the Council have been holding off a rescue mission until they’re certain Ahsoka is truly MIA.”

The Council haven’t even met with him to _discuss_ a rescue mission. To them, Ahsoka’s disappearance is nothing but an inconvenience. Thinking about their vile attitude makes Anakin’s fists clench.

“ _Truly_ MIA?” Fox repeats, “That’s a juxtaposition, ma’am. Missing in action means nobody knows if they’re dead or alive.”

“I know, Commander.” Padmé replies smoothly, her eyes lining up with Anakin’s.

“So, the Council aren’t looking for one of their Padawans who could very well be stranded on some Separatist planet with her men?” Fox reiterates.

“Yes,” Anakin forces through gritted teeth. He hates thinking about it. The thought of Ahsoka being labelled as MIA makes him feel physically sick.

“Got any leads?” The Coruscant Guard Commander asks.

Anakin exhales slowly, “I know where her distress signal was set off.” Padmé shoots him a look, so he adds, “I’m not _fit_ to fly alone.”

“Malia,” Fox turns to the Kage woman, “Shift my responsibilities to Stone and Thorn.”

“Stone will be _thrilled_ to attend your meetings,” she cracks a smile, “Don’t kill the General with your piloting skills, Commander.”

Anakin feels his eyebrows rise as the clone chuckles, “Fox, you don’t have to. You’re busy enough here.”

“The boys will manage the repairs without me for a few days,” the Commander shrugs, “I want to see Commander Tano and the boys-in-blue come back as much as the rest of us.”

Anakin smiles genuinely for what feels like the first time in days, “I appreciate it.”

“Shouldn’t you take another Jedi with you?” Padmé asks, her eyes glued to her husband. “I don’t think General Kenobi will take kindly to you rushing off-planet whilst you’re still recovering, General Skywalker.”

“Maybe General Kenobi should’ve proposed a rescue mission at one of the _many_ Council meetings he attends.” Anakin replies spitefully.

Padmé blinks, and he thinks she’s about to protest further, but then she smiles, “Then I’ll meet you at the docking bay.”

“No-”

She raises a hand, “I’m coming with you, Anakin.” She drops the title, just for the sake of the conversation. “I want Ahsoka home too.”

“I guess that settles it.” Fox says when Anakin remains silent, “The Senator’s a good shot. Malia, are you joining us?”

She snorts, “I’ll hold the fort, Fox. It’ll be chaos without one sane mind in the command office.”

“A clone Commander, a Jedi and a Senator,” Padmé smiles up at Anakin, her hand _just_ brushing his sleeve, “I think that’s a good team.”

Her eyes sparkle with an unspoken message: _I didn’t want you to go alone_.

Anakin smiles back at his wife, “It’s a rescue team if I ever saw one.”

_We’re coming for you, Ahsoka. Just hold on._

* * *

When Ahsoka opens her eyes, they’re entering a cave. The medics are already scattered, pushing their brothers to the ground with a firm instruction to rest. Judging by the sound of rainfall echoing around her montrals, the storm is still raging.

It’s a miracle they found shelter, _and_ that the constant bird song has finally ceased. That was going to drive her insane.

She isn’t holding onto Echo’s pauldron anymore- Rex is the one leading her. When she makes a little huff from hours of useless meditation, the Captain glances over his shoulder, “Echo asked me to take over. Apparently, Fives’ gossiping was going to make you lose your focus.”

“I didn’t have any luck anyways.” She takes her hand off his shoulder, feeling blood rush back to her hand, “I can’t feel Anakin.”

In the dim light, Rex frowns, “What does that mean?”

“Well, he’s not dead.” She puts in bluntly, slumping against the closest rock. She still can’t remember what Obi-Wan told her about her Master, and it’s making her nervous. “I just… can’t reach him. It’s like there’s a big wall that I can’t cross.”

Force knows how long they’ve been walking, but her feet hurt like crazy. Coric is instantly hovering around her, touching her pulse point on her wrist, and then pinching her finger.

Rex brushes the medic off as he tries to repeat the same process, instead choosing to kneel in front of her whilst Coric moves to a more willing patient. Ahsoka doesn’t get why they’re so panicked. “Could the General cross it?”

“What?” She’s watching Kix comfort one of the shinies- Sixteen. Tapping on the young man’s Force-signature, she realises he shares her fear of storms. She ought to go over to him, address all the troopers with the reassurance that only a Commander can provide.

“The wall.” She glances back at Rex who’s looking at her with a particular look in his eyes, “Could the General cross the wall and reach you?”

A pathetic excuse for a smile falls on her lips, “I haven’t felt him in my head, Rexster. Whatever’s blocking my connection to the Force, it’s strong enough to resist a fully trained Jedi Knight.” She frowns suddenly, “Then again, Anakin’s been slacking lately.”

 _The medication makes it hard to use the Force like he used to_ , he told her, even though it’s the brain disorder that makes it so easy for him to lose focus.

Rex nods slowly, “We’ll have to focus on getting off this planet without outside assistance then.” He looks at the men, “We should establish a plan.”

Ahsoka stands up even though her legs protest. She must’ve been in meditation for quite a few hours whilst they walked, “I have a really bad feeling about this.”

“I do, too,” Rex says quietly from her side. She feels his hand rest on her shoulder, giving it a gentle squeeze, “But we can’t let the guys see that.”

They couldn’t.

Ahsoka agreed to take the 501st on this mission to prove that she was capable. What would the Council- _and her Master_ \- think if she crumpled under the pressure? They would never let her lead another mission again.

More importantly than her reputation, the men are relying on her, for safety, security, and ultimately, victory against whoever they’re fighting. She can’t let them down either.

“No.” With one last smile towards her mentor and friend, Ahsoka walks towards her men. Jesse’s having his arm examined by Tread, but everyone else is seated, some brothers slumping against each other to get some rest.

“Troopers,” she says, getting their attention, “I know it’s been a long and strange day, and I’d firstly like to thank you all for remaining calm and collected in the face of uncertainty.”

Some of the clones tilt their heads at her, confusion riddling their Force-signatures, whilst Rex grunts, “Too much.”

The chevrons on her lekku darken slightly as she backtracks, “Captain Rex and I will make sure that we make it off this planet- one way or another. Until we find a way to contact the Republic, we’ll need to work together to stay safe in an unfamiliar environment.”

She juts out her chin, “Fives, Echo, when we next head out, you two will scout ahead. Before then, we’ll reconfigure our comms to create a temporary signal.”

The ARCs nod, Echo adding, “You’ve got it, Commander.”

“What will we do, Commander?” Ox calls out.

Ahsoka takes a deep breath, “We’ll carry on trekking. Once we establish whether or not this planet has natives, we’ll work out a plan from there. Until we know for sure, moving will keep us alive.”

Blinder shyly raises his hand, “I know a thing or two about comms, sir.”

“Brilliant; we’ll work on that later.” Ahsoka smiles over her men, “Now, let’s get some rest. Sergeant Coric and I will take first watch.”

Coric salutes sharply whilst Rex grabs her bicep, “Sir-”

“You need to rest, Captain.” Ahsoka says, turning to face him, “I can’t keep the shinies calm like you can.” She says it in a way that leaves no room for argument.

The Captain sighs, admitting defeat, “Yes, Commander.” He moves over to Sixteen, kneeling and placing a hand on the man’s shoulder.

Ahsoka watches in awe as he coaxes the shiny out a tight ball and manages to make him smile. She’s seen her men freak out before, and it’s never nice, especially when they get violent and start throwing fists towards anything- or _anyone_ \- near them.

Somehow, Rex can always calm them. It’s one of the things that makes him _Rex_.

“Sir.” Tread appears in front of her, a frown imprinted on his face.

“Tread.” She smiles- a bit _too_ widely. “Everything alright?” She hopes Coric hasn’t been so harsh on him that he’s second guessing himself.

The young medic keeps a neutral expression, “I was wondering if you had any rations, sir.”

“Rations?” She starts patting her belt, finding the pouch where she kept a stick of nutrient solids, “Leave yours on the ship?”

The pouch where she usually keeps her food is empty, and Ahsoka soon realises that all of her supplies are missing.

Tread watches the colour drain from her face, “All of our rations are gone, Commander.”

“That’s odd.” She says, still rummaging through her belt patches in the hope that she finds something. Having their things go missing is beyond an act of nature or coincidence.

“It is.” Tread stiffens, “The thing is, sir… none of us are hungry.”

She pauses. How can none of them be hungry? Clones’ metabolisms are high from their accelerated growth- her men are _always_ hungry.

Even after _hours_ and _hours_ and _hours_ (maybe even days- it feels like) of walking, she doesn’t have much of an appetite either.

Something _really_ strange is going on here.


	7. Chapter 7

When Ahsoka wakes up, she's cold.

Shivering, she tries to curl in on herself, only to knock her legs into a giant lump behind her. She turns slowly, one hand on her lightsaber, until the blonde hair confirms it's only Rexster behind her, and not a wampa.

Looking around, the clones are at ease. They're all sleeping still, and judging by their Force-signatures, none of them are plagued with the bad dreams that so often haunt their sleep. Even Fives seems to be resting peacefully.

Ahsoka stifles a yawn, nudging Rex with her elbow. He grunts, turning away from her. She wonders when he became such an old man that he has to sleep in every morning. On campaigns, he’s always the first one up, and one time he pulled her out of her tent in her sleeping bag, running her through the wet grass to ‘wake her up’.

Pushing herself to her feet to spare Rex a few extra minutes of bliss, Ahsoka walks to the mouth of the cave. Outside, it's white.

She stares at the snow falling gracefully onto the frosted ground, wondering how this planet could be warm and summery one day, and snowy the next.

The weird thing is… it doesn't _feel_ very cold. Sure, there are goosebumps on her bare arms, but she isn't _cold_ cold.

Bending down, Ahsoka runs a hand through the powdery snow, bringing a somewhat unexpected smile to her face. It never snows on Coruscant, and whenever she goes to ice planets with the 501st, she's more concerned with keeping her and her men alive to appreciate how pretty it is.

The snow is light, falling between the gaps in her fingers before disappearing into a sheet beneath her. There's no chill lingering on her hands like there is usually when one touches snow.

"This doesn't feel like the same planet, sir."

She jumps, whirling around to see Blinder staring at the snow from the mouth of the cave, the other men gathered behind him. Her eyes fall on Rex who looks awful with dark bags under his eyes and a sunken expression on his face.

This isn't the Rex she knows. The Captain of the 501st is never the first to give up hope, and even when things are looking their bleakest. Rex is the one with the enthusiasm, the good ideas, the motivation to get her, Anakin, and the men through whatever obstacle they're facing. Now, he looks hopeless.

That scares her slightly.

"I wouldn't be so sure, kid." Fives says, stepping forwards until he's standing in line with Ahsoka, "Look, over there!"

They follow his pointed hand to the cairn they were trying to reach the day before. It's surrounded by deep snow, only the top rocks are visible.

Ahsoka frowns, "How can it be sunny one day and covered in snow the next?"

"Perhaps it's a controlled climate." Ox proposes, looking to Ridge for some approval. When he joined the 501st, Ridge quickly took the shiny under his wing, and Ahsoka's grateful for that. She wouldn't have been able to adjust to life as a Commander if it weren't for Rex and Anakin. It’s nice to see the veterans looking out for their vod’ika.

Ridge shakes his head, "You need advanced technology to control a planet's climate. This place doesn't even have locals."

"Not that we've seen." Sixteen inputs. Ahsoka shifts her gaze from the cairn to the shiny, giving him a small nod so he knows that she heard him.

"Wait a moment," Jesse speaks up, pushing to the front of the group, "Who was on watch when the snow started to fall?"

"It was-" Echo furrows his brow, "Was it the Commander and Sergeant Coric?"

For the first time since they ended up wherever they are, a look of panic flashes across Fives' face, and Ahsoka feels her breathing hitch. Echo remembers _everything_.

Coric shakes his head, "We took first shift." Then he looks over at Ahsoka, "If I'm honest, I can't remember who we woke up to take over."

Ahsoka frowns. The events were blurry, but Ahsoka distinctly remembers showing Coric how hypermobile her knees are, and him telling her- with a concerned look- that she ought to do more conditioning before she tears a ligament that will put her off the field for a while.

Everything after that is vacant from her memory.

"Maybe," Hardcase starts, looking between Ahsoka and Coric nervously, "Maybe you were so tired that you fell asleep, and that's why nobody took over."

His theory makes sense. They hiked all day to get to this cave, and it certainly wouldn't be the first time she's fallen asleep on watch. Usually, though, the clone accompanying her stays awake- trained to do so- and lets her use his shoulder as a pillow. Coric's _never_ fallen asleep on watch before.

"You're not _supposed_ to fall asleep on watch." Chopper growls out from the back of the group. Ahsoka feels a tug of guilt on her heart- what if something happened to them in the night?

"Hey!" Fives juts out his chin, rushing to defend Ahsoka's honour, "We weren't exactly under threat, Chopper. You're one to talk. Don't you usually have nightmares every night? I swear you barely get three hours of sleep even in warzones."

It's a low blow- especially from Fives. Chopper's been in the 501st longer than he has, and one clone attacking another for their sleep cycles is purely pathetic. They’re soldiers; they’re often harbouring trauma and have death waiting around every corner. Getting a good night’s worth of sleep is difficult, to say the least.

To her surprise, Chopper doesn't shrug the clone off like he does with every other reprimand. No, Chopper steps forwards, a dangerous flash in his eyes, "Watch yourself, ARC. You haven't exactly been the most helpful on this mission, and the General _specifically_ asked you to help the Commander, not excuse her for falling asleep on watch."

"That's _enough_." Coric gets between them before Fives' anger overboils, and for a moment, it feels several degrees colder in the cave.

Ahsoka swallows down her anger at Anakin for going behind her back and looks for Rex, wondering why he didn't step in sooner. He's not the type of Captain who will let his men argue with each other, especially when _she_ is the subject of their argument.

Rex is sat against the cave wall, massaging his forehead. Ahsoka bites the inside of her tongue, torn between two equally demanding duties. One to resolve the conflict between Fives and Chopper, and the other to get some answers from Rex. If something’s up with her Captain, she needs to know about it.

"Guys, this isn't the best time to argue." Solo steps in, his courage flaring through his Force-signature although there are undertones of fear. It takes grit to step between two veterans who are moments away from throwing fists.

"Stay out of this, shiny," Fives reaches out to push Solo away.

Ahsoka grabs his wrist before he can touch the younger trooper. When it comes to the shinies, a slight shove is all they need to become closed off from their brothers, and Ahsoka won't take Solo back to Coruscant as a man distanced from his own brothers.

She challenges Fives' shocked expression with a glare, "Back down, trooper."

Quickly- and thankfully- Fives realises his overstep and relaxes his fist. In turn, Ahsoka lets his arm drop, maintaining eye contact, "Sorry, Commander." She inclines her head towards Solo, her order silent. Fives sighs, "Sorry, kid."

"It's alright," Solo replies, moving into the cave again, Sixteen trailing after him.

Ahsoka sighs- making her feel like Obi-Wan- before looking at the ARCs. From experience, she knows that reprimands usually don’t need reiterating if the trooper has already backed down, and Fives’ behaviour can get worse if someone keeps chastising him. "I don't think you two should go scouting in this weather."

"It might be best to hang out here until it settles." Echo agrees with her whilst Fives remains silent. A brush against his force-signature proves he's still angry at Chopper who's stalking away to sit beside Blinder. "Where's Rex?"

"He's..." the words freeze in her throat as she catches another glimpse of Rex slumping against the cave wall, head in his hands. "Excuse me, troopers."

She needs to find out what's going on with her Captain.

"Rex?" She kneels beside her best friend, noticing his obvious flinch. A frown marks her face- _what's got into him?_ "Are you okay?"

Something like laughter bubbles through Rex's chest as his eyes lift to meet hers. His pupils are clouded, which sets off warning bells in her head. "Frankly, Commander, I have no kriffing idea."

"What's wrong?" She demands, resting a hand on his shoulder, "Do you want me to grab Kix?"

She anxiously looks for the medic amongst the group, but he's nowhere in sight. Rex rubs his temples, "I- I'm alright. I just don't feel like myself."

"What do you mean?" She squeezes his shoulder, discreetly scanning his body with the limited Force she has access to. There's no physical injury, which is worrying because Rex only slows down when his body makes him, not when he doesn't feel like himself.

At her probing, Rex closes himself off, angling his face so he can avoid eye contact with her, "I probably just need some rest."

"Rex." She moves in front of him, forcing him to look at her, "I'm not going to accept that answer and you know it."

"It's nothing for you to worry about, Commander," he bites out, and Ahsoka recoils, shocked. "Let's focus on getting off this planet first."

Then, Rex jumps to his feet and stalks away, already yelling at Jesse to stop messing about with Hardcase. Ahsoka scowls as she stands up, annoyed he's pushing her away. She thought they were partners, best friends. Why's he shutting her out like this?

A howl from the distance pulls Ahsoka out of her vexation, montrals automatically homing in on the sound. It's coming from several klicks away, somewhere echoey, but in terms of _which_ creature is making the noise, Ahsoka has no idea.

"What the kriff was that?" Ridge asks, standing by her side.

"I might be mistaken, sir," Ox starts, his tone nervous as he fidgets, "but that sounds like an anooba howl."

Ahsoka frowns, "That's not good."

It's not good at all.

The howl sounds again, and Ahsoka feels herself shudder, "They're getting closer." She glances at Rex, glad to see he's more alert, but he still looks distant, "Two klicks, give or take."

She doesn't know much about anoobas besides the basic facts. They're fast beasts, usually in packs of ten to twelve members. They stab their prey with chin tusks before shedding through flesh, bone and muscle with long claws and fangs.

It's not a pleasant way to die.

"If they have our scent, they'll corner us." Echo adds, "We're sitting tookas here."

"Right." Ahsoka makes a decision, igniting her lightsaber and walking out into the snow. The falling snowflakes melt upon impact with her skin, the unfortunate ones fizzling as they touch her saber. "Let's get going then."

* * *

_"The Captain must be the first to start crumbling." The Host instructs, the back of her chair facing the Queen. The monarch can only see thin, slender fingers twirling a lock of blonde hair. "The Jedi and the other clones will soon follow."_

_The Queen nods, "And then they will turn on each other, your Greatness. The war will come to a violent end- at last."_

_The Host lets out a satisfied sigh, "They will finally understand."_

"General Skywalker?"

Anakin blinks, reorientating himself from whatever took his attention away. Since Master Che has him on a cocktail of painkillers, she recommended taking a break from his usual medication to avoid any _undesirable_ side effects of mixing medicines. It seems to be showing.

He glances at Fox, fiddling with the _Twilight's_ controls to make himself look busy, "Yes, Commander?"

"You-" Fox pauses as the cockpit door opens, and Anakin already knows it's Padmé, but the clone is only making sure there isn't an unwanted intruder. "You looked like you were in another universe, sir."

"The General is often deep in thought." Padmé supplies, her tone both protective of her husband and teasing at the same time, "He claims it's a _Jedi_ thing."

She’s learnt to cover for him in meetings with the Chancellor and other members of the Senate. Besides Padmé, Ahsoka, the Jedi Council and Master Che, nobody knows the real reason why Anakin’s attention is always divided, why he can never focus on one task at a time, or why he gets _so_ angry and flustered at nothing.

He’s terrified at how others will react to hearing his diagnosis. He’s by far the most popular Jedi in the public eye, and if any media sources found out that the esteemed Jedi Knight is dealing with such a problem could ruin him.

He has to tell his men- eventually. Rex only knows the basic details, but that won’t do if he wants to go back in the field with the 501st. The medics will need to be informed, and the Admiral, and everyone will start looking at him like he’s a wounded tusk cat.

Padmé’s hand on his shoulder pulls Anakin from his spiralling thoughts. He needs to focus now; Ahsoka’s life is in the balance.

"We're dropping out of hyperspace." Anakin announces as the _Twilight_ pulls to a halting stop, the blue streaks of light around them suddenly vanishing.

" _Where_ exactly are we?" Asks Padmé, leaning on the back of his chair.

"Bundil, ma'am." Fox replies, "Ferra sector."

Anakin nods, staring at the blue and green planet through the viewpoint, "According to Republic records, this was the last known location of Ahsoka's ship."

"Well, she isn't here." Fox states, matter-of-factly.

"That's the point." Anakin growls, already regretting bringing the others with him. Fox can think on his feet, and Padmé's the love of his life, but this is a mission that he would certainly find easier if he were solo.

 _"Republic shuttle, identify yourself."_ A gruff, male voice asks through the comm.

"Jedi General Anakin Skywalker, requesting permission to land." Anakin replies.

 _"Copy that."_ The _Twilight_ beeps as it receives a docking bay number, _"You're clear to land, General."_

"Bundil sent out some starfighters when Ahsoka's distress signal was dispatched. They didn't find anything, but any information could be useful for us." Anakin explains, imitating landing procedures.

Padmé squints at the planet's surface as the clouds draw back, "I don't see any cities."

"Bundil is a quiet place." Fox says, helping Anakin to land the _Twilight_. He has to admit, the Commander's a half-decent pilot. "It's ravaged with pirates, making it unsuitable for civilians."

Anakin nods, lowering the ship to a small docking bay, "Apart from this docking site, the planet is basically deserted."

The _Twilight_ lands with a hiss, the engines powering off so they can recharge. Anakin checks the fuel gauge before standing, glad it's got enough fuel to get back to Coruscant.

"I think you should wait here, Senator." He says, checking his gloves are securely fastened.

He can feel Padmé's cold glare in the back of his skull, "I can look after myself, General."

"I know." He turns, offering her a smile, "That's why I want you to watch the ship."

She stares for a moment longer, then shakes her head, "I didn't come along to watch your ship, Master Jedi."

With a sigh of defeat, Anakin steps back and gestures her ahead. Usually, he would demand that she stays out of harm's way, but he knows she can defend herself, and this is a Republic planet.

Master Che wants him to stop trying to take so much _control_ over other people's actions.

Outside is a small docking area containing a small handful of Y-Wing starfighters and one rickety transport which appears to be having some major repairs. At the head of the docking area sits the outpost where space traffic is managed.

"There, sir." Fox points to a woman leaning over a starfighter, her brow furrowed in concentration as she uses a servodriver to work on one of the disk-ventrals.

 _A pilot_ , Anakin smiles to himself, _one of his people._

"Excuse me, ma'am!" He calls, leading Padmé and Fox to where the woman is working. Her head lifts, eyes widening slightly. It's probably the first time she's seen a Jedi. "Hello."

She lowers her servodriver, straightening entirely. Anakin gives her a tight-lipped smile, a bit uneasy that she hasn't responded to his greeting, "Were you part of the team who were dispatched to a wellbeing check eight days ago? Republic transport A9-A5."

The woman starts to nod, but before Anakin can ask for a report, she points to the outpost so fast that Fox's fingers fly to touch his blaster, "Boss."

"Pardon?" Padmé asks, confusion seeping into her normally calm and collected tone.

"Boss." She repeats, jabbing her pointed finger further towards the outpost.

"Right." Anakin says, low enough for only his companions to hear. "Someone was exposed to vacuum for too long. Let's go to the outpost."

The boss is a gigantic Togorian whose fur is so shaggy that Anakin nearly mistakes him for a Wookie. The outpost is cramped, a few old computer terminals littering the small desk along with a worn chair which creaks under the man's weight.

"You're taller than I imagined, General Skywalker." He greets cheerfully, holding out a furry hand, "Having you on Bundil is an honour. I would love to have you out in the field with my pilots- you'd give Kari a run for her-"

"I actually have urgent business to speak to you about." Anakin cuts the man off, his patience wearing thin. It's a struggle to stop his voice from rising. "I was told that you sent out some pilots when Commander Tano of the GAR set off a distress signal in this sector."

"I did!" The man laughs, loud and carelessly, "We'll do anything to help our fellow Republic soldiers. Unfortunately, we couldn't find any remains of the Commander's ship."

He says it so bluntly, that Anakin automatically clenches his fists. "You must've found _something_."

"I'm afraid not, son." Anakin feels his heart thud when the man addresses him like that. Who does he think he is?

He feels Padmé's hand brush his own before he can explode, and she steps forwards, "Sir, we aren't doubting your credibility, but an entire ship couldn't have just disappeared."

"Ah, Senator Amidala- I'm a big fan." The Togorian winks, and Anakin's stomach tightens into a knot. "What's important to note is that the distress signal was category two."

"What does that mean?" Fox demands.

Anakin takes a steadying breath, "It was the ship sending out the signal rather than Ahsoka. It's a characteristic of new Republic ships to send out a distress signal if the pilots are unconscious or they lose their controls."

"Like a crash landing?” Padmé asks, "Could they have crashed onto this planet?"

Anakin doesn't think so. He would be able to feel Ahsoka nearby, even if she were unconscious or... he doesn't want to think about the other possibility.

"Kari does the daily patrols here." The boss explains, "You're welcome to join her this afternoon to check for crash sites, but I'm not sure if you'll have any luck in finding your friend."

Anakin shakes his head, "Can we do the patrol now?"

The man hisses, "If Kari wants to. She can get a bit flustered when her routine is changed, but I'm sure if I ask nicely, she'll be willing to help." He nods at Anakin, "She wants to be a pilot for the GAR someday."

It’s the woman from outside who takes them on her patrol, letting Anakin fly one speeder whilst she takes the other- Fox and Padmé riding on the backseats. The pilot doesn’t talk much, but Anakin’s not in a talking mood.

He’s worried about Ahsoka- _dreadfully worried_. It’s been ten days since she first disappeared, and the Council still refuse to send out a rescue mission. Granted, he’s been avoiding their calls since he went AWOL with Fox and Padmé, but Malia promised to call ahead with any developments, and the clone Commander hasn’t heard from her.

Padmé’s hands clasped around his stomach tighten a fraction, “You’re going off course, Ani.”

He shakes his head, pulling the speeder in line with Kari’s one. He can’t be getting distracted now.

Bundil is a barren place, with minimal crash sites, all of which are decades old. Anakin knows it's futile to be looking for Ahsoka's ship on this rock. Even if they _were_ all dead, he would be able to sense her or the men. All he feels when he presses on his bond with Ahsoka is emptiness, like a black rope that reaches _on_ and _on_ with no end in sight.

He tries to pulse some determination her way, a silent message to tell her that he's doing everything he can to locate her.

"Don't you have a scanner that can find any new crash sites?" Anakin demands as they look over another old wreckage.

The woman shakes her head, climbing back onto the speeder and revving the engine. Her frustration is just as clear as his own.

"That one looks new, General." Fox says, using his scopes to scan the horizon.

"Where?" Anakin demands, snatching the binoculars from his hands. It immediately picks up the half-buried ship underneath a collapsed rock wall, but Anakin's frown soon returns, "That's a Nabooian starfighter, not a Republic transport."

Kari stands on the speeder, using her own scopes to get it out. Anakin notes a look of surprise on her face, and without words, he knows that the Nabooian starfighter is a new addition to Bundil’s graveyard of ships.

"What would a Nabooian starfighter be doing out here?" Padmé asks, directing her question at Kari who shrugs.

Anakin lowers his scopes, "Let's find out."

* * *

The anoobas find them quickly.

Within minutes- it could be days, she would never know- of leaving the safety of their cave, Ahsoka can sense they aren't alone. The snow is too thick to see more than a few metres in front of her, but every so often, she catches glimpses of red eyes through the blizzard.

Some of the other men notice, but nobody says anything. The atmosphere amongst the group is tense, and as much as Ahsoka wants to relax her men with a well-timed joke, she'd rather stay on high alert to keep her soldiers alive.

Rex seems to be more with it, though he's powering on by Ahsoka's side without so much of a glance in her direction. She knows he's focusing hard too, but it worries her that this situation is so bad that her Captain can't even grant her a word of inspiration.

A shout from the back of the group- one of the shinies, judging by the shrillness- has Ahsoka leaping over Rex's head, lightsaber raised to slash at the growling anooba who tries to wrap its jaw around Tread's throat.

She hears Hardcase's Z-6 rotary blaster cannon drill loudly beside her as she swipes at the anoobas, but they're fast and manage to dodge the blade, disappearing back into the snow. Hardcase swears, "Fast little grites, aren't they?"

"Watch yourselves!" Ahsoka shouts to the others, helping Tread to his feet. He's shaky, but appears to be unharmed, and she sees Coric rush to his vod'ika. The Sergeant has taken the younger medic under his wing, so his concern is understandable, and Ahsoka tries not to panic when Coric starts fussing over his ward.

"Commander." She turns to see Blinder with his blaster raised to the fog surrounding them, "Whilst we were in the cave, I had a go at re-wiring my commlink. I couldn't get a steady signal, but I can emit a high frequency pitch which should deter the anoobas."

"Do it." She orders with a tight nod, too desperate to try to find another way.

For a moment, all she hears in the snarls of the anoobas, edging closer to her men. They refrain from shooting blindly, unwilling to waste precious ammo. Then, as she turns to Blinder to ask what’s taking so long, she hears it.

The high pitch wail brings Ahsoka to one knee, her hands clamping around her montrals. The sound burns into her skull, making her teeth grind together, and she wonders why it hasn’t affected her men so severely, and then she remembers that she’s a Togruta.

A gloved hand wraps firmly around her bicep, and Ahsoka is tugged to her feet. “Commander? Ahsoka!”

“I’m fine.” Everything sounds muffled, and Ahsoka feels like she’s burst an eardrum- if she had any to begin with, that is.

“The anoobas don’t seem to like the sound either,” the clone says. She finally realises that the hand gripping her belongs to Rex, and he holds on for a moment longer before letting go.

“Good work, Blinder.” Ahsoka praises the clone, trying to collect herself. “Keep your guard up in case-”

She spins at the sudden thunder of paws thumping against snow. An anooba- the alpha of the pack, no doubt- has its gleaming eyes set on Rex, and Ahsoka only has a heartbeat to defend him.

“Run!” She shouts, seeing the other anoobas gaining speed as well. Apparently, high pitched sounds don’t bother them as much as Blinder thought they did.

She stands her ground as her men retreat, lightsaber raised. She hates killing natural predators, but what choice does she have?

 _It’s them or you_ , Anakin would say with a shrug.

Ahsoka swings her lightsaber to decapitate the alpha male- quick and painless. There’s a sudden pain in her hand, and before the plasma blade can touch the beast’s neck, her lightsaber is thrown to the side, deactivating itself.

She hears it shatter upon impact with rocks that peep out of the snow, making her panic. Lightsabers are supposed to survive longer than the wielder, and hers has been heavily modified- by both her and Anakin- to make it practically indestructible.

One lousy hit from a blood-lusting anooba, and her lightsaber may have well been made of glass.

She outstretches her hands to toss the approaching anooba away, but it’s too late. She’s suddenly sailing through the air, a pounding pain in her skull. It hurts like a concussion, bright and hot. She can only hope she landed on soft snow, not on a misplaced rock.

That could be messy.

Whether she lands or doesn’t, Ahsoka never knows. For a while, she’s flying, and then the snow seems to stop falling.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello everyone! I haven’t been very vocal in this story, but I want to apologise for not getting this chapter up quicker due to work getting particularly busy. As a consequence, this chapter is shorter than my previous ones. I hope to have the next chapter out sooner!

_The crowd parts at the tap of heels- the Host striding through the facility with a look of pure rage across her normally serene face. "I said she would not be harmed."_

_"It was a mistake, Your Greatness." The Queen steps forwards to protect her engineers and scientists from the Host's anger. "The Jedi is quite alright."_

_The Host shakes her head, protectiveness overpowering her rationality, "Where is she? I need to see her for myself."_

_The Queen knows better than to dispute such a request. She gestures to her faithful Commander with a clawed hand, "Escort her Greatness to Tano's room." She pauses, her mandrils twitching in thought. "We must prepare for the next drill."_

"Boss," Kari says, pointing to the empty case where the engine of the N-1 starfighter _should_ be.

Anakin frowns, realigning with reality for what feels like the hundredth time since they landed on Bandil. "Do you think it came off when it crashed?"

The ship’s old, but it crashed recently, judging by the amount of sand that’s collected inside the cockpit. There’s no body left behind, not even a uniform or helmet. The consoles have all been ripped out too.

She shakes her head, trying and failing to get the words out. Anakin tries to be patient- he really does- but he's exhausted and they haven't found any leads yet. He pats Kari on the shoulder, "I'll be back in a moment."

Padmé and Fox are waiting by the speeders, sharing a canteen of water. Anakin assumes their casualness is only due to the frequency of their interaction on Coruscant. Fox probably sees Padmé more than _he_ does.

His wife smiles at him, "Any luck?"

"It's just a crashed starfighter." Anakin takes the canteen as it's offered, gulping down the lukewarm water. There's sweat all around his neck, and his hair is sticking to his forehead from the humidity. "Could've come from anywhere."

"Boss!" He turns at Kari's call with a sigh. She walks over to them, carrying what appears to be a generator.

Anakin frowns, taking the device which is no bigger than his toolbox. He recognises the components, but only because they're a minuscule version of what’s used in generators he's seen on starships. "This is for a tractor beam."

"A tractor beam?" Padmé peers at the device, touching it with her fingertips. "But it's tiny. What could it possibly attract?"

Anakin frowns, turning the device over in his hands, "It looks custom made. If I can take it apart, then I might be able to find out _who_ made it, and for what purpose."

Fox snorts, climbing onto the seat behind Kari as she revs the speeder bike, "I think that thing's a little small to suck up the Commander's ship, General."

"I'll call one of the leading aerospace engineers on Naboo." Padmé offers, "Maybe they'll be able to tell us why one of our starfighters is a long way from home and sporting a tractor beam generator." She sighs, "I hope we can get some answers."

Anakin does too.

He boards the second speeder bike. They may as well head back to Coruscant, given there isn’t any sign of Ahsoka’s ship on this planet. As he's waiting for Padmé to climb onto the back, he hears the distinct beep of Fox's commlink. The Commander slips off his helmet, lifting his wrist, "Fox here."

 _"Lieutenant Divo's just dropped by."_ Malia cuts right to the point, ingraining urgency in her tone, _"He reckons the Knights of Freedom were behind this fire- like you told him. He's presenting the evidence to the Chancellor as we speak."_

Anakin feels relief bubble in the Commander’s Force-signature, "Good. Hopefully, by the time I get back, the Chancellor will launch a full investigation. It's about time."

Malia's quiet for a moment, and then, _"Thire was attacked in the early hours of this morning."_

Padmé's grip tightens around Anakin's middle, and the Knight grinds his teeth as he watches Fox freeze, "Attacked?"

 _"He- He's alright- just a bit shook up, I think."_ Malia sighs heavily, _"Nobody was with him, and he didn't get a look at who attacked him. He's in medical right now, but they said his injuries are minimal, just some surface burns from the acid."_ The assistant huffs, _"Still as ugly as ever."_

Fox ignores her attempt at a joke, eyes wide as he worries about his brother. _"Stone's taken full charge. It would be ideal if you could come back before he gets too swamped with the workload."_

"Okay," Fox's voice is croaky, and he clears his throat quickly, "I'll head back. Tell Thire-" he slams his helmet back on and doesn't finish his sentence- at least not out loud.

"If they're targeting clone _Commanders_ , then the Knights of Freedom know no bounds." Padmé sighs, "How long until they go after a Jedi or a Senator?"

"Or a civilian." Anakin mutters, his grip on the speeder handlebars tightening, "I'll speak to the Chancellor when we get back, and the Council. Hopefully, with some _persuasion_ , they'll start paying attention to the problem."

He glances across the terrain, shaking off the feeling of immediate danger, "We're not any closer to finding Ahsoka." His gaze falls on the N-1 starfighter, and Anakin gets a fleeting feeling that the wreckage isn’t just a coincidence.

_The Host brushes her fingers over damaged montrals, the lead Doctor hesitantly chiding her, "The wound should be kept as sterile as possible, Your Greatness."_

_"I was meant to protect her." The Host pulls back her hand, tears brimming in bright blue eyes. "How will she forgive me?"_

_The Doctors look between themselves, shocked that the Host cares so deeply for a warmonger. Personally, they want to harm the Jedi and clones_ more _, not be stuck treating them._

_"Your Greatness." The Commander stands in the doorway of the room. "We're ready to start the next drill."_

_"Delay it." The Host instructs, touching the Togruta's arm, "We must wait until she is stronger." She wants to see the Jedi suffer, but not like this._

_The Commander exchanges a look with the lead engineer, "We have already delayed enough. It will not be long until the Republic find out where-"_

_"Do you dare disobey me?" The Host snaps, all gentleness gone. For a moment, nobody speaks, and then the Commander leaves the room with her head bowed. The Doctors also step back, giving the Host space to watch over the unconscious Togruta._

"Pirates!"

Anakin jumps, nearly steering his speeder right into Kari's at her sudden call. Padmé's nails dig into his sides almost painfully, "Careful, Ani."

Taking some deep breathes, Anakin looks upwards where Kari is pointing. He scowls when he sees a familiar ship preparing to land at the docking bay, " _Hondo_."

"Weequay pirates?" Padmé asks as he and Kari push the speeders to their limits. "What are they doing out here?"

"They scavage the crash sights, probably." Fox calls over. “Kari, step on it!”

The woman stands, revving her speeder so it’s pushed to its absolute limits. Anakin scoffs, doing the same. He can almost hear Padmé’s teasing smile, “Always trying to be better, aren’t you?”

The speeders pull up to the docking bay, Kari drawing a slim pistol and shouting for the boss whilst Anakin watches Hondo walk down the ramp of the ship. He's dealt with the pirate King before, and although he's a nuisance, he isn't the worst that the universe has to offer.

That doesn’t mean he’s pleased to see him.

"General Skywalker, Commander Fox and Senator Amidala!" The pirate greets them, and Anakin's surprised that he can tell which clone it is based on armour alone. It shows how many times Hondo has had run-ins with the law. "My, my, what a welcoming party!"

"We were just leaving." Anakin replies coolly, "What are you doing here, Hondo?"

"Just leaving? You sound so displeased, my friend!" Hondo stalks over, a few pirates following behind with big grins on their faces. Anakin tries not to flinch when the King pirate slaps him hard on the back, but he does take a step in front of Padmé when the pirates start swooning over her.

"Pirates are not welcome here!" The boss shouts, coming down the steps of the outpost with Kari in tow.

"We'll be gone before you know it!" Hondo promises, although Anakin knows they'll stay for as long as they please.

"Your business here, Hondo." The Knight prompts again. The last time he saw this pirate, he was fleeing Felucia with his tail tucked between his legs- they don’t exactly have a great track record.

"Ah, yes! You see, we heard there were some..." Hondo falters slightly, trying to find the words, "some _issue_ with a Republic ship going missing near this planet, and we simply wanted to help out our Republic friends by locating their ship."

Anakin draws his lightsaber without thinking, holding off from igniting it, "Tell me who told you about the missing ship, Hondo."

"There's no need to raise a weapon, Skywalker." Hondo lifts his hands into surrender whilst his pirate buddies raise their blasters. Padmé touches her husband's arm, a silent message to lower the lightsaber. “Word gets around quickly.”

Just as he clips the weapon to his belt, Kari steps forwards, blaster raised, "Kriff off, pirates."

"Watch your mouth, young lady," Hondo warns.

"Ah, Kari," the boss puts a hand on her shoulder, pushing her arm down, "Let the Jedi handle this. There's no need to spill any blood."

"Her stance is all wrong." Fox mutters lowly. Kari lowers the gun, but her gaze is hard on Hondo.

"Listen, Hondo," Anakin starts, quickly thinking of a plan to save Kari and her boss the stress of having these pirates on Bandil, as well as getting him closer to finding Ahsoka. "We came here looking for the same ship you are. How about we join forces?"

"What?" Padmé exclaims, her hand closing around his bicep, "Anakin, the Senate and Jedi Council will frown upon taking sides with Weequay pirates."

"I know." Anakin replies lowly, "But I also know that Hondo has good contacts." He glances at the pirate, doing his best to make his expression as intimidating as possible. He doesn’t want to be messed around. "Do you remember my Padawan, Ahsoka Tano?"

"The little Togruta girl, of course!" Hondo grins, clearly reminiscing the time that Anakin, Obi-Wan and Ahsoka clashed with his gang on Felucia.

Anakin nods stiffly, "She was on the Republic ship that went missing in this Sector. The Commander, Senator and I have been looking for her."

"And you want _me_ to help find your lost Padawan?" Hondo stirs, "Isn’t that a- what do you call it? _Council matter_?"

Anakin feels his lips press into a tight line, "It ought to be. This time though, I'm working without their support." His commlink's gathered more missed calls in the time he's been on Bandil, and Padmé's starting to get a few as well. "If you help us, we can discuss some sort of temporary alliance- a treaty of sorts."

“Anakin,” Padmé hisses in dispute.

“I know what I’m doing.” He bites back.

“I will think about your proposal, Skywalker,” Hondo tips his head before turning to the other members of his gang.

Anakin allows himself to take a breath. He hates to be asking a gang of pirates for help, but he’s not getting anywhere. The Council surely can’t shun him for siding with murders if they haven’t even made the effort to send out a search party for Ahsoka. He doesn’t have another option.

"Pardon me, sir," Fox takes off his helmet with a sigh, "I really need to head back to Coruscant."

"Go without us." Anakin replies, watching Hondo discuss the deal with his fellow pirates.

"Why doesn't Fox go to Coruscant, and you and I will stay with Hondo?" Padmé proposes, irritation clear in her tone.

Anakin shoots her a look, "You're not staying with the pirates. Besides, you need to help Fox fly the _Twilight_ back to Coruscant." The clone’s not a bad pilot, but he’s not good enough to solo a light freighter across several star systems.

"I'm sure Kari can help him with the flying." Padmé gives him a smile, "I'm capable of looking after myself, Anakin, and I'm a much better negotiator than you are."

"Hang on a moment!" The Togorian steps forwards, pushing Kari aside, "You can't just _take_ my pilots off-world."

Anakin narrows his gaze. With his patience already wavering, this man is pushing his luck. "You said she could be a pilot for the GAR. Who knows- she might prefer it on Coruscant." He glances around at the stretching miles of deserted land, "Might get some _real_ action."

"Skywalker, friend," Hondo steps away from his other pirates, hands out on a welcoming gesture, "We'll gladly help you locate your Padawan- in exchange for a favour or two."

Anakin nods, "We can discuss the parameters on the journey."

"Do you have a hunch?" Padmé asks.

"There's a planet nearby with a large ship wreck yard." He shakes his head, "We should check there- just in case."

The planet he's thinking of is technically not the _nearest_ shipyard- by any stretch- but he can feel a _pull_ towards it, as of the Force wants him to go there. He just hopes it'll lead him closer to Ahsoka.

"Respectfully, sir," Fox starts, "why do you need the help of a gang of pirates to search a wreck yard?"

"It's a pretty big dump." Anakin huffs out a breath, remembering the sheer size of the yard he's thinking of. "And the planet isn't aligned with the Republic."

"Ah," Padmé says, the pieces clicking why Anakin didn’t want her to come with them.

"No worry, my friend!" Hondo laughs, "We'll be certain that you and the lovely Senator make it there without a hitch!" He winks at Anakin, "I think I know _exactly_ which planet you've got in mind."


	9. Chapter 9

Ahsoka wakes up with her head in Rex's lap.

For the first few groggy blinks, nothing seems out of the ordinary. She's woken up with her head resting on plastoid before, usually with the same killer headache she has right now. Coric says elevation helps the swelling of montrals and lekku, and Ahsoka's always been inclined to trust the Sergeant when it comes to medical stuff- he is the chief medic in the 501st, after all.

The sun's above her again, hot against her skin instead of comfortably warm. There's that dreaded birdsong in the air again, but this time is sounds muffled- like she's listening to the creatures singing from underwater, or someone captured the feathered beasts in a bag.

Darkness suddenly shades her, and Ahsoka squints at the towering figure as they crouch over her face. The eyes are gold, and when the head turns to speak to someone else, she sees the phrase 'a good droid is a dead one' shaved into the side of their head.

_Kix._

She feels her mouth move to say his name, but she doesn't hear her own voice. Her throat's raw, the same sensation she had after being brought off a ventilator after a treacherous campaign that put nearly the entire 501st into the medbay.

The clone frowns, his lips moving. Ahsoka blinks at him- baffled that she can't seem to hear. Her montrals can be a bit sensitive after head injuries, but she's never been _deaf_ before.

Feeling on edge with one of her most valued senses gone, Ahsoka reaches for her belt, fingers stretching to wrap around the cool hilt of her lightsaber, only to grasp at air.

"Where's my lightsaber?" She asks, raising her volume to hear herself. Her own voice still sounds far away.

Kix's lips don't move, but he takes her shoulders, and with the help of someone else's hands- Rex's, judging by the familiarity- on her back, she's mobilised to sit upright.

She's leant against a tree of some sort, the bark scratching her back and little hairs tickling the backs of her arms as she tries to steady herself, "I can't find my lightsaber."

"Commander." She looks up at Rex, his expression set in deep concern as he leans towards her, favouring her right side. "Do you remember what happened?"

Ahsoka tries to even her breathing as she surveys the new environment. The grit of sand beneath her and glimmer of the sun off water tells her that she's on a beach, but where in the galaxy this beach _is_ , she has no idea.

All she knows is that this _isn't_ the ice planet they woke up on before.

"Anoobas." She says, one hand raising to her head in an attempt to soothe the pain, only for Kix to grab her wrist midway. "I told you to run- I got hit." Her hand goes limp as Kix lowers it to her lap, "I don't remember anything after that."

She looks at Rex for an explanation, but a frown is all he can offer, "Then your memory is as good as ours, sir."

"What do you mean?"

"All we remember is waking up here." Rex gestures around them. Ahsoka sluggishly scans the beach, counting the heads of the 501st and coming up two short, "I've sent Fives and Echo scouting; they left not long ago."

"What?" She spins her head back to him, ignoring the flash of pain that follows, "I thought we agreed to not send anyone off?"

Rex gives her an exasperated look, "I was left with little choice, kid. The ARCs are capable enough.”

“They’re capable on planets we’re familiar with, or at least have some Intel about, not on planets where-”

“This isn’t a planet, Ahsoka.” Rex says in a tone he would use on a shiny.

"Where else could we be?" Ahsoka tries not to snap, but there's a definite bite in her tone. She hates being treated like a child, especially by Rex.

The Captain's eyebrows furrow, and she can tell he's holding back a sharp retort. Rex is good in a way that he'll openly criticise his superiors, and it's something that Anakin and Ahsoka have got used to over time.

 _Three opinions are always better than two_ , her Master said when Ahsoka first became his student and asked why Rex was so much more open-minded- and _mouthed_ \- than his other brothers.

"Try not to panic, sir." Kix reassures, "Besides a few cuts and bruises, nobody's been seriously hurt." He nods towards her head, "You're worst off, and somehow, your wound was cleaned and partially healed whilst we were out."

"Hang on." Ahsoka holds up her hands before either clone can say anything else, "Are you implying that we've been going unconscious?"

"There's no other explanation for us all waking up with amnesia." Rex sighs, propping his elbows on his knees, "I wish the General were here- he always knows..." he trails off when Ahsoka sharply turns away, "All due respect, Commander."

"Anakin's _not_ here." She states clearly, even though she wishes her Master _were_ here. "Whatever's going on- we need to figure it out ourselves." She rubs her forehead where most of the pain is sprouting from- Kix doesn't stop her. "If we have no idea where we went missing, then I doubt the Republic are having much luck finding us either."

She pins Rex with a look, "Until we know what's going on, we should _stay put_. There's no point wasting energy." She pats her hips, "I'm less confident to face any more animals with a head injury and no lightsaber."

"It's not completely gone." Rex extends his closed fist, flexing his fingers open to reveal her green kyber crystal sitting in his palm. "This is the only thing left. I woke up and it was next to me."

That's... odd, considering they've moved locations. In fact, how have they been able to move whilst they have been asleep?

Ahsoka pushes her spiralling questions aside. They don't have enough clues to solve this mystery yet.

"It's useless to me like this." She sighs, taking the crystal. It's still thrumming in the Force- barely. "Unless we can find a blade emitter shroud, emitter matrix, and several other necessary components. Do you guys still have your weapons?"

Rex just pats his blaster in response, giving Ahsoka a hand up. Tucking the kyber crystal into a pouch on her belt and pushing Kix away before he can start pestering her about the head wound, Ahsoka surveys her men.

The beach cove is fairly small, and sheltered by large cliffs which makes it ideal to hide out in. As far as Ahsoka knows, anoobas don't frequent beaches often. That's quite relieving.

Between the rocks lead a few paths, probably where Fives and Echo went to go scouting. Ahsoka hopes they're alright. The ARCs are competent, but they've already been caught out with the anoobas, and they really don't know what they're dealing with in this _place_.

It certainly isn't _one_ planet- that's for sure. If there was one environment that could change from grassland, to ice, to a beach whilst having amnesia-inducing gases in the air, then the Jedi would know about it, and the Kaminoans would be training their elite soldiers there.

The water is pure blue, reminding Ahsoka of a lake that Padmé took her to for a picnic on Naboo- the first time the Togruta visited the planet. Apparently, Padmé's nana- who Ahsoka learned was more like a babysitter than a blood relative- used to love visiting the lakes near Theed, and took the Senator there as a girl.

The men look oddly relaxed, spare Jesse and Hardcase who keep casting her worried looks. Ridge appears to be teaching Ox about wave formations, the two brothers standing right beside the water, so close that some of the waves hit the toe of their boots.

Kix and Coric are further back, crouched on the sand, doing what looks like a gear check. They tend to carry a lot of medical supplies in their belt pouches, for emergencies where they don't have their bigger kits- like now.

Turning to her right, Ahsoka sees Chopper and Blinder huddled under a tree for shade. Without their helmets, the clones have practically no UV protection, and she knows Chopper has a bottle on heavy-duty sunscreen under his bunk on the _Resolute_ \- a special one for the scars on his face. It's even _more_ important for Blinder to stay protected due to his injuries being so fresh.

"Kids seem to be having fun." Rex mutters, nodding at Tread, Sixteen and Solo who have taken off their boots and are paddling ankle-deep in the water.

A smile falls naturally on Ahsoka's lips when she hears their bright laughter- even though it sounds much further away than it actually is. "No harm in adapting to your environment, is there?"

Rex huffs a laugh, but it's dry and forced, a stark reminder of how dire their situation is.

"Do you have a plan?" She whispers the question, afraid of appearing lost and afraid. Nothing _terrible_ has happened yet, but Ahsoka feels a deep anxiety about what's happening to them.

It's like stepping forwards, knowing there's a 50-50 chance of a landmine being under your feet.

"We can't make a plan until we know what's going on." Rex replies, letting Ahsoka know that he, in fact, has no plan either.

"Right." Ahsoka re-takes her position sat on the sand, patting the space beside her. "So, you and Kix think we're being knocked out by something?"

"How else would we get from an ice planet to a beach overnight?" Rex sits next to her, then pauses, his eyes going a little bit wider, "Kix thinks it's been longer than twelve hours since we were on that ice planet, judging by how much your head wound has healed."

Gingerly, Ahsoka touches her montral. It feels a little raw and tender, but it's not open. It's definitely healing already, and she doesn't have a fever or any other signs of infection, so somehow it's been cleaned.

"Clones can't sleep naturally for more than eight hours," Rex frowns, "give or take."

"And we're all waking up without any memory..." Ahsoka's eye markings furrow in thought, "Still believe the theory about anaesthesia inducing gases in the atmosphere?"

Rex manages a grin, "Still believe I'm a natural blonde?"

Ahsoka scoffs, running her hands through the sand. She remembers Anakin saying how much he hates it- maybe it's a good thing he isn't here.

Though, if he were here, Ahsoka would feel a lot more comfortable.

There have been times before when she's felt like she's being watched. Sometimes on missions where commando droids are spying on them, and sometimes on Coruscant, even in the security of the Temple. It's been happening more and more recently.

Ahsoka gets the same feeling now- it makes her shudder.

Is it possible they've been captured?

She wracks her memory, trying to think of every detail of the mission before they woke up in that bizarre grassland with no ship. It was a textbook mission, just taking down an outpost. The boys got out first, made sure the ship was prepared, and then she and Rexster caught up.

Ridge and Ox were flying.

She spoke to Anakin on the comm, and then Obi-Wan- who didn't have good news. She couldn't remember what he said, but it made her worry. Whatever it was, none of the guys knew, except for...

"Blinder!"

Rex jumps at her sudden call, obviously deep in thought himself. The 212th clone is by her side in an instant, Chopper watching carefully from a few feet away- protectively. "Sir." Blinder almost snaps a salute, but he doesn't.

"Master Kenobi called us on the ship- after our mission." Ahsoka forgoes explaining her abruptness to Rex, chasing straight to the point, and standing up, "You overheard the conversation; what happened on Coruscant?"

"C-Commander," the young clone takes a step back, caught off guard. Even with his hesitance, Ahsoka can see the recognition of the event in his wide eyes.

"Sir?" Rex asks whilst he climbs to his feet, confusion laced in his voice, "What do you mean, 'what happened on Coruscant?'"

"There was a fire or something," Blinder shakes his head, coming out of his shock when Ahsoka prompts him with a raised eye marking, "I don't know what happened, but I'm fairly sure the General got hurt."

 _Anakin_ , Ahsoka thinks, nearly exclaiming his name out loud. She turns away for a moment whilst Rex demands more answers from Blinder, touching her bond with her Master.

It's still there- thank the Force. She can't push any emotions over the connection, but that's normal after a head injury. Anakin's bright presence is definitely still pulsing. Even now, she can feel his mild frustration and erratic energy- just like normal.

He’s probably scouring the galaxy looking for her. Unlike Obi-Wan and other Jedi, Anakin won’t wait for the Council’s permission to start a rescue mission, but she hopes her friends on the Council are also trying to find her.

The Jedi Order is everything she has, and she’s given all she can to it. All she hopes for, in return, is that they’ll do the same for her.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

She looks back at Rex, instantly pulling her gaze away when she sees the hurt in his expression. She doesn't have an answer. Did she not have enough time to tell him about the fire, or did she choose not to?

"I think Kenobi told you to keep it quiet." Blinder says quietly, "For some reason, I get the feeling that clones were hurt in the fire- possibly killed." He blinks suddenly, his remaining eye narrowing in realisation, "I was worried it was the same people who attacked me that night."

Ah, yes, the terrorists.

Ahsoka manages to make eye contact with Rex once more, "I don't remember why I didn't tell you-"

"You don't have to remember." He bites back, arms crossed sternly over his chest, "Blinder does."

With that, the Captain spins on his heel, taking wide strides to the spot that Chopper and Blinder deserted. Ahsoka chews her lip, watching her retreating friend. It isn't like Rex to get so upset over something like that. Obi-Wan obviously had his reasons for wanting her to keep the news from her men- it's not like it's personal.

She lets out a sigh, remembering the younger trooper beside her who is fidgeting awkwardly, "Sorry, Blinder."

"I should be apologising to you, Commander." He immediately chirps back, "I should've kept my mouth shut."

"He would've found out when we returned to Coruscant anyway." Ahsoka scuffed the sand with the toe of her boot- _whenever they get back, that is._

"Want me to speak to him?" Coric offers, making Ahsoka jump. It appears that the scene has drawn some attention, and a few veterans look at her with sympathy whilst the shinies gaze over at Rex with a worried look in their eyes. The Captain sits against the tree trunk, fiddling with a stick and purposefully turning away from the crowd.

He's many things, but he’s not a coward- especially in front of the men. That’s a sign that something is seriously, _seriously_ wrong with Rex.

"I'll speak to him later." Ahsoka gives a smile to her vod. She's never had a disagreement with Rex before, but it's understandable given the circumstances. They've never been thrown into such an unsettling scenario without Anakin before. He's probably just stressing.

She looks out over the water, notices that the sky has darkened slightly. It'll be just their luck if a storm is on the way. "Stay low, men. We'll decide what to do when Fives and Echo come back."

She gets a feeling the ARC troopers won't be back anytime soon, and she also has a feeling that something _horrible_ will happen before they return.

* * *

Obi-Wan sips his tea, letting the steam clear his thoughts. The drink has always relaxed him, but now, he can still feel the stress weighing on his mind. The lights over Coruscant are doing nothing to calm him either.

Ahsoka's missing, and judging by the lack of communication from Anakin, so is he.

It's almost funny. Qui-Gon trusted him to look after little Ani, and now, Obi-Wan doesn't have the foggiest idea where his Padawan and Grandpadawan could be.

He takes another sip of hot tea, willing his anxieties to settle, but to no avail. He feels responsible for everything that's happened.

When the Council suggested Ahsoka led the 501st on a mission, he was the one who convinced Anakin to agree. It had been a rough few months with his former Padawan practically crumbling from the pressure of the war, and Obi-Wan thought he was doing his friend a favour by getting the overprotective Togruta away for a bit.

He was wrong. It was a mistake to send Ahsoka away whilst Anakin was unwell.

Sighing, Obi-Wan fingers his comm, refusing to dial Anakin's frequency, just so another call can go unanswered. Senator Amidala hasn't replied either, which helps the elder Jedi slightly to know that his reckless student isn't tearing the galaxy apart- _alone_ \- to find his own Padawan.

Padmé usually has a straight head, but Obi-Wan knows that her friendship with Anakin can cause her to become a little more reckless when it comes to her safety.

The commlink buzzes in his hand, and Obi-Wan answers without preamble, "Anakin?"

 _"Just me, sir."_ Cody replies, a definite heaviness in his tone.

"Ah, Commander." Obi-Wan tries not to sound too deflated, but his comrade knows he really only wants to hear from Anakin. "How's Thire?"

Cody sighs, and Obi-Wan feels his heart throb. The attack on the Coruscant Guard Commander has caused quite the stir up the ladder, even reaching the Council Chamber. It seems to be more devastating news than the barracks fire which claimed seventy-two lives.

 _"He's alright, considering. Still in medical."_ Obi-Wan's glad to hear that Thire is faring well, but he fears the lasting effects of the attack. He knows Blinder walked away from the terrorists with horrific injuries. If the physical scars are bad, he can't imagine the emotional ones.

These terrorists need to be _dealt_ with- sooner rather than later.

 _"Malia managed to get through to Fox- he's on his way back."_ Cody adds.

Obi-Wan's eyebrows rise, "Where is he now?" He wasn't aware that the Commander was off-planet, especially considering how enthusiastic he was to find the Knights of Freedom and launch a trial for their crimes.

Obi-Wan always had a feeling that they were responsible for the barracks fire. It was only a matter of time before they went for a bigger target than solo troopers. The same acid they used to attack Blinder and Thire was found where the fire started, which was enough evidence on its own.

There's a slight pause, _"Bandil... I think? I'm not completely sure, General. I think he was following Skywalker."_

"Good cosmos." Obi-Wan mutters under his breath, pinching the bridge of his nose. "He invites the entire GAR, but not even his own Master."

In some ways, it's good that Anakin went on a wild bantha chase with a Senator and clone Commander. If his former Padawan doesn't want to share the details of his adventure, Obi-Wan can always order it out of Fox.

 _"Whilst I'm on to you, sir,"_ Cody's voice lifts, _"Crys reported that Blinder's commlink was activated several days ago."_

The Jedi Master's heartrate picks up, "Was there a message? Could Crys track the signal down?"

This could be a lead on Ahsoka's location. Besides the initial distress signal from the Republic transport that took them to Xorrn, they have no way of tracking the missing soldiers down. Their commlinks have all been inactive, until now.

 _"No message, unfortunately, but it wasn't a distress signal."_ Cody responds, _"It's a good sign though, General."_

It's a sign that they aren't dead- yet. Obi-Wan feels some of the weight lift from his shoulders. "Thank you, Commander. Kenobi out."

To the Council Chamber to share the news. Hopefully, a rescue party will be dispatched before sunrise.

Obi-Wan pauses outside his quarters as the door slides shut.

Is it possible that the Knights of Freedom are behind Ahsoka's sudden disappearance?

Probably not. He nearly laughs at the thought of a terrorist organisation wanting to take a Jedi Padawan and less than three squadrons of clones hostage. The Council would’ve been contacted by an unsecure channel by now, masked figures threatening to kill Ahsoka in exchange for the war to see a quicker end.

If only the Knights of Freedom knew how much the Jedi wanted the fighting to cease too.

* * *

Rex tosses a leaf away from his hands when Ahsoka approaches.

She gives him a small smile, sitting near his position but giving him space. It's the same tactic she uses when Anakin throws a temper tantrum and storms off.

"Sorry." He mutters, breaking the quietness of lapping waves and the laughter of their men who have made a small fire. Jesse is the one leading the songs- judging by the awful pitch.

It's got significantly darker now, but not by nightfall. The tide's still in, and through the greying clouds, Ahsoka can see the sun still trying to peek through. It's a brewing storm causing the lack of light.

Fives and Echo still aren't back yet.

"It's alright." She replies, shuffling an inch closer and then shivering when a chill catches her bare shoulders. For a moment, she sits and watches the rippling waves.

"Near the start of the war, before you came along, a few brothers and I were taken as prisoners of the Seps after a battle." Rex starts, keeping his eyes down. "Took Skywalker two weeks to find us."

Ahsoka frowns, leaning so her shoulder is against the clone's. "I didn't expect him to come looking, considering we're just clones."

"Not to me and Anakin." She says softly, although Rex already knows that. He’s known that since the day she stopped Grievous from killing him.

His smile is short-lived, but it's there for a moment, "We didn't know at the time, but the Separatists were using us like lab rats- injecting us with all these different toxins that made us, I don't know-" he shrugs, "it made us feel unlike ourselves- well, me specifically. When I came back, it took me a while to- you know- get used to my brothers again.”

“So…” Ahsoka tries to think of the right words, “the toxins made you antisocial?”

“That’s one way to put it.” Rex’s Force-signature is a storm of emotions, most prominently guilt, “It made me aggressive.” His eyes darkened, “An aggressive clone is a dangerous clone.”

“Rex.” Ahsoka lays a hand on his shoulder, waits until his eyes turn to hers, “I really don’t think we’ve been captured, and even if we have been-“ it sounds ridiculous saying that out loud- “then the same thing can’t be happening. That was a long time ago.”

He stares at her for a moment before shrugging, “Guess so, Commander.”

She gives him a reassuring smile, which he manages to return. After giving his shoulder a tight squeeze, Ahsoka lets go to rest her cheek against his plastoid-clad shoulder. It’s cool against her skin, which soothes the headache to a more bearable throb.

She doesn’t realise that she’s drifting off into a light slumber until she hears the loud roar of the ocean and the shout of her panicked soldiers. She was ignorant to ignore the warnings in the Force.

Far in the ocean, there’s a rise in the water. Rex lets out a growl, “Kriffing tsunami. Men, run!”


	10. Chapter 10

Ahsoka's head breaks the surface, and she gasps for fresh oxygen, coughing up salt water. All she can see is water, stretching for miles and miles. When the first wave hit, she lost sight of half her men, and now, the only one nearby is good old Rexster.

Tangled leaves are wrapped around her foot, constantly dragging her down whenever the water level rises. If she had her lightsaber in working condition, it wouldn't be a problem. The crystal on its own is useless.

Familiar hands grab her shoulders from underneath the surface, and Ahsoka doesn't struggle out of Rex's hold as he tries to dislodge her foot from the fallen tree that threatens to drown her.

After a moment of kicking, she's finally free- only for another current to take her away.

Ahsoka takes a big gulp of air before being plunged underwater again, ensuring her grip around Rex's middle is secure. The clones don't float well in plastoid, but they need to stay together.

How long have they been struggling in the waves? It feels like it's been forever, and Ahsoka _still_ can't locate the rest of her men.

She hopes their survival training has kicked in. The veterans will be fine- she has no doubt that Chopper and Coric are the strongest swimmers in the Legion. She's more worried about the shinies. What if they've never been in water beside the simulations on Kamino?

If she can't bring those younger men home...

She'll have failed.

Her back hits something hard and jagged, making a few tears in her exposed skin. Ahsoka winces, grabbing at the rock to find a solid grip. She twists her fingers in a root and _pulls_ , steering her and Rex around in the current.

"Good work," Rex rasps, his breath hot against her montral despite the coolness of the water. His arms are locked around her, providing security amongst the fast-running water. "Can you pull yourself up?"

Ahsoka looks up, not noticing that the rock she's got a death grip on is actually the mouth of a cave. The water is rushing inside, but it doesn't look deep. They need a moment to catch their breaths.

"Yeah," she mutters, hauling herself onto the flat rock with sharp edges that cut into her skin. The water dripping off her body makes the blood run clearer off her arms as she pulls Rex up to join her.

Once they're out of the water, the two soldiers scan the horizon. They don't need to verbalise that they're both looking white and blue armour. It's a feeble attempt at locating their men. All they can see is murky water- no longer a brilliant blue like before- and torn down trees.

"How long do you think we were stuck out there?" Ahsoka speaks first.

"An hour." Rex replies, one arm still wrapped around her back, "My muscles were starting to get tired."

She nods, trusting his judgement. She wonders how long the shinies will be able to swim for. Rex is stronger than most of his brothers, but the youngsters tend to have more energy.

Water runs over the rock, submerging their hands. "We better explore this cave." She glances over her shoulder at the towering rock structure, "Maybe find some higher ground."

Rex just grunts, following her lead. They both know that finding higher ground is fairly useless when it comes to tsunamis. The volume of water is just too great to escape from.

Inside the cave, the water reaches Ahsoka's knees. It's dark- much darker than outside- and she automatically takes Rex's hand- knowing she'll have to act as his eyes. After over ten years of cloning these perfect soldiers, the Kaminoans still hadn’t clocked decent night vision without helmets.

"It doesn't make any sense." Rex says above the sloshing of water, "We were always taught that earthquakes triggered tsunamis."

"I think we have bigger problems than geography right now." Ahsoka replies, keeping her mind set on finding a way out of this cave system before they're drowned. "Can Solo and Sixteen swim?"

The Captain snorts, "Of course, they can."

This time, Ahsoka shoots him a look, "You seem a lot more optimistic than you were earlier." She shakes her head, "Swimming in a manmade pool on Kamino is different from keeping your head above water in a tsunami."

She halts in her tracks when Rex coughs on a laugh, spins around to face him, "Something funny, Captain?"

"Commander," Rex chuckles before continuing, "you know Kamino is an _ocean_ planet, right? We learnt how to swim by getting chucked in the deep end- literally."

"And Togrutas are natural predators," she gives him a smile that he can't see in the darkness, "but I still lost to the anooba ."

Rex frowns, then reaches to touch the healing wound on her montral. Ahsoka tries not to cringe away as the pad of his thumb rubs over the new scar, "Aren't you concerned about how quickly it healed up?"

"I'm grateful." She replies, taking his hand from her head to carry on walking.

"Ahsoka-" there's a splash as Rex tries to meet her strides. He lowers his voice even further, "Doesn't this seem a little... _set up_ to you?"

It's her turn to frown, although she isn't confused, "What do you mean?" She knows exactly what he means, but she needs to hear his reasons.

"Well, we've been going unconscious whenever we get too close to danger, for a start." Rex begins, "Then, there's been these _strange_ occurrences: the tropical storm, the random anooba attack, a kriffing tsunami. What's next? A volcanic eruption?"

"Don't jinx it." Ahsoka mutters, hoping to add some humour, but she soon gets a sinking feeling that the good old 'it could be worse' saying might not be immensely helpful right now. "Here's a spot to rest."

She gestures Rex to perch on a rock ledge that sits high above the water level. It's not exactly comfy, or big enough to two, but they'll manage. Ahsoka feels sore all over after being tossed around in the water, and although Rex seems as reliable as ever, she knows he needs a break too.

They say nothing for a moment, and Ahsoka tenses. "Listen."

Rex cocks his head towards her, "Listen to what?"

"The birds." She closes her eyes, focusing on their familiar song that she could hum along to if she wanted to. She wasn't aware that songbirds could live in caves like this one. "They keep singing."

The song stops- halfway through a note.

Ahsoka snaps her eyes open, confusion soon replaced with fear. Beside her, Rex is tense, "They must've heard you complaining, sir."

Or they heard her notice. Either way, it weirds Ahsoka out.

"We have no idea where Fives and Echo are." She says, making conversation to fill the silence and drive herself away from her spiralling thoughts.

"They're smart men." Rex grunts, getting comfier on the rock ledge, "I'm sure they're fine."

She hopes so. Ahsoka tilts her head, resting her sore montrals on Rex's shoulder. For now, all they have is each other- until they can find the others. She prays to the Force that nothing else will drive them apart.

* * *

_"Your Greatness," the lead engineer starts in a shaky tone, "the Captain and Commander are smarter and stronger together. It's vital to keep them at odds, not working together. Aggravation is the only way to-"_

_"Aggravate the clones how you like," the Host declares, flicking a lock of blonde hair over her shoulder, "but don't let their behaviour affect my Soka."_

_The engineers look between each other, shock masking their expressions. Ultimately, they turn to the Queen who steps forwards, "Having the Jedi involved is crucial, Your Greatness." She carefully breaches a boundary, "Respectfully, I thought you wanted the Jedi to suffer."_

_"I want the Jedi to suffer, yes." The Host bites back, annoyed that her subjects are questioning her motives, "I want them to abandon their ways, and to watch the chaos unfold!"_

_Her declaration gets a cheer from the engineers, and even the Queen looks pleased._

_The Host turns back to the main viewpoint, a soft smile gracing her lips. Her Jedi looks so happy resting upon her Captain’s shoulder. How would it feel for her montrals to be against the Host’s cheek?_

_"Soka is not like the other Jedi, so it's up to me to free her." She doesn't care what it'll take to succeed in getting the Togruta to stand by her side. "She will not stand by me if she finds out that we are turning her soldiers against each other."_

_She glares at her followers, "We must do what we can for peace, but I cannot allow Soka to suffer."_

_The Queen nods, slowly, "For peace."_

_The engineers echo the toast, "For peace."_

Anakin jolts awake, sitting upright in the small bunk. It takes him a moment to remember he's on Hondo's ship, heading for a shipyard with Padmé- they're looking for Ahsoka's ship.

How long has he been asleep? Anakin rubs his eyes, peering over at the opposite bunk and panicking when the sheets are crisply folded, and the pillow is perfectly fluffed.

He bursts into the cockpit- one hand already on his lightsaber- only to see Hondo and Padmé sitting in the hull of the ship, having what looks like tea.

"You're up." His wife notices his presence first, placing her mug back onto the small table. She smiles apologetically, "I tried to wake you."

"I don't know why I slept so long," he admits, rubbing the back of his head. His hair is still short from having to shave a matted knot out. That's what he got for not leaving bed for two weeks.

He's angry at himself for not waking up earlier; what if Hondo tried to hurt Padmé? For all Hondo's helping them, he's still an untrustworthy pirate.

"Skywalker." Hondo stretches on his chair, "We'll be arriving shortly."

"Good to hear it." Anakin looks back to Padmé, softening his gaze. "Have you heard from Coruscant?"

"Fox and Kari have safely returned." His wife presses her lips together, "Obi-Wan called me."

He feels himself tense, "And?"

"He said that the evidence brought forward about the Knights of Freedom being responsible for the attack at the barracks means the Council are launching an investigation.” Padmé's stare is as hard as steel. "I said that if we had no luck at the shipyard, we would return. It's imperative to find those terrorists."

It's a tough spot to be in- having to choose between finding the terrorists and finding Ahsoka, but Anakin knows he doesn't have much choice.

"Knights of Freedom, you say?" Hondo muses out loud, stroking his chin in an Obi-Wan-like fashion.

"Have you heard of them?" Padmé asks, leaning forwards in her chair.

"Unfortunately." Hondo sighs, and Anakin takes a step forward. The pirate looks at the Jedi- almost sheepishly, "Do you remember when you and Kenobi had an extended stay on Florrum?"

Anakin tenses, "You mean when you drugged us and held us as prisoners?"

"You and I remember it differently, friend." Hondo laughs nervously, "A month afterwards, I was approached by an agent, operating for the Knights of Freedom. They were inquiring about purchasing the same drug we used to subdue you and Kenobi, but my, my!" Hondo raises a hand to his forehead, "They were only offering a _fraction_ of what we paid for such a chemical- I could not accept."

Anakin and Padmé exchange a look as the pirate continues. What could the Knights of Freedom possibly want with a chemical that could knock people out? How does that have anything to do with acid attacks on clones and setting buildings on fire?

"Afterwards, I went to a local planet for business, but I had to return immediately when the men at my complex sent out an emergency signal." Hondo shakes his head, "Apparently, the Knights didn't appreciate their offer being declined, so they took the chemical stores by force."

Anakin clenches his jaw. The Knights truly know no bounds if they're willing to steal from pirates. Hondo may be stupid, but he's not one to take threats lightly- the Knights were asking for a death wish. Whatever they needed the chemical for, it must've been important.

"We'll have to inform the Council." Padmé says to Anakin before looking back at their escort, "Hondo, could you describe the agent?"

"I would..." Hondo turns to Anakin, "but I think you're already familiar with them, Skywalker."

"Who?" He demands, feeling the hair on the back of his neck stand up as his mind runs through every criminal and smuggler he knows the face of.

"Ione Marcy."

Anakin frowns, "Who's that?"

Hondo raises his bony eyebrows, "You don't know Ione Marcy? Why, she's only one of the thieves who stole your Padawan's lightsaber on Coruscant a month ago. I must say, I'm thrilled that she is finally behind bars!"

The Jedi feels his heart rate pick up, and it feels like his chest is starting to tighten. This was the sign of his world falling apart before- when Ahsoka was nearly crushed under a Geonosian factory and then when Rex returned from a mission with Obi-Wan, carrying a blaster hole in his chest plate.

It's the same feeling he felt when he had to be rescued off Vanquor with the weight of a cruiser rendering him helpless.

Now, he's learnt that someone who Ahsoka has had dealings with has something to do with the Knights of Freedom. It certainly doesn't make him feel any more in control of the situation.

_Helpless. Can't do anything. Not good enough._

Padmé spots him slipping, nudges his side with her elbow. Anakin blinks, trying to focus on the information that's just been revealed to him. In a steady voice, he speaks, trying not to tremble, "I wasn't aware that Ahsoka lost her lightsaber."

"Ah, a sneaky Padawan you have there!" Hondo laughs, completely unaware of how close Anakin is to breaking point. Padmé watching him like a ticking bomb, whilst Anakin clenches his fists slowly. "To be fair, Skywalker, I only heard through some links I have to the prison on Coruscant."

"I'll call Fox once we land." Padmé announces, "He can speak to Ione in prison- find out what she knows. Maybe she'll be a useful contact."

Anakin manages a nod, "What's our ETA?"

Hondo spins around to the viewpoint, "We're minutes away, good friend."

“ _Where_ exactly?” Padmé questions, putting the drained mugs and teapot back onto a tray. Anakin wonders who the pirate stole the fine china from.

“Fondor.” The Knight replies, watching the dark planet illuminated by lines of light grow larger. He chews his lip, hoping he can find some sort of clue as to his Padawan’s whereabouts before he’s forced to return to Coruscant.

* * *

"Welcome back, Commander," Malia leans to the side of her chair, peering at Kari, "Who's the kid?"

"Someone for the flight boys to entertain until I have a moment." Fox replies hastily, directing Kari to sit in the small reception area at the front of the Coruscant Guard complex. It's not a large or frequently used space- mostly, it's where drunken vode have to wait if they arrive after curfew.

"I'll call the Captain, then," Malia turns, "Stone's been asking about you- wants to know why you've been off-planet."

"It's not some big secret." Fox walks quickly towards the medbay, Malia close on his heels. The whirring of the wheels on her chair goes in beat with his footsteps, and the sound is half-calming and half-aggravating.

"Uh, Fox!"

The Commander in question lets out a quiet swear as he pulls to a stop, turning to see one of his Sergeants jogging over, "Yes?"

"We have shinies that need their induction talks, sir. Seeing as Commander Thire is out of action, you're the next-"

"Yes, yes, I'll do it when I'm free. Malia, can you book it?" Usually, Fox isn't this off-handish, but all he really wants is to see his brother.

"Sure," Malia swivels to face the direction they've just come from, "Follow me, Splitter."

Fox doesn't look anyone else in the eyes as he barges into the medbay, already knowing where Thire is because the medics always give a private room for the Commanders. The Doctors and nurses step aside, but Brightside watches carefully as Fox storms through the room.

His vod is sat in bed when he walks in, finishing the remains of a soup. Fox feels his throat clench up when he sees Thire's face is nearly completely obscured with bandages. They wrap over one eye and his nose, reaching underneath the collar of the hospital gown that he wears.

"Where have you been?" Thire asks, his voice croaky.

"Errands," Fox says, brushing off the question. He moves towards his brother and gingerly puts a hand on his shoulder, "What happened, Thire?"

"Don't know," Thire tries to shrug, but soon regrets it judging by the clench of his fists, "I was coming out of the barracks- some _chick_ I met at the bar wanted me to go to hers." He looks at Fox guiltily, "Should've seen it coming. I had a feeling I was being followed."

Fox lets out a heavy sigh usually reserved for cocky shinies, "Did you see who attacked you?"

"No," Thire doesn't try shaking his head, "Came from behind- tipped this... _awful_ , acidic stuff over me. Force, Fox, I thought I was set on fire." He closes his eye, "Haven't slept properly since."

"That type of attack will do that to you." Fox murmurs, gently squeezing Thire’s shoulder, "I promise you, brother; I'll find those monsters."

He knows exactly where to start.

"Please do, vod," Thire whispers, "I thought it was bad enough for those shinies who got hurt, and now I've felt it. I don't want anyone else to be scarred like I’ll be."

Fox swallows hard.


End file.
